Rainbow: An Arranged Marriage of Malfoy & Granger
by ReWritten-string-of-stories
Summary: In an OOC post-War London, the Ministry has decided that arranging marriages is the best path to a happy Wizarding world. Thing is, witches and wizards ages 16 through 29 didn't bargain for this. Especially not Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger.
1. Waiting For The Unexpected

Author's Note - Update for June 1st, 2011. I've decided to post this story on the site Granger Enchanted, and they have a much more rigorous set of rules that need to be followed in order to make the cut. As such, I'm slowly rewriting, revamping, and re-editing the story. The essentials of the plot and most of the dialogue will remain the same but as you can see, this first chapter is a slightly different characterization of Hermione. I hope you all enjoy! If anyone knows any good betas (as it's impossible for anyone to catch all their mistakes themselves), let me know!

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**First Cycle**

**Waiting for the Unexpected **

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

Let's face it - the best way to spend the day when storms raged outside was to be cuddled warm under my bed sheets.

I suppose that I should have been studying, and in fact _had _been studying, if anyone had cared to look in on me two hours ago. But once the rain had started, my mind had slowly started wandering. I'd moved myself and my books from the desk to the carpeted floor, from the floor back to the desk, from the desk to the sitting room, and had finally landed on the bed around noon. All the while, the storm had continued. Rain (being one of my very favorite types of weather which was rather lucky as it rained all the time in this country) had conclusively beat looking my Healing textbooks over. It was incredibly nice to listen to the rain and let my mind float about.

_It's nice to have no problems to…solve… _

…especially since it had been a difficult year after the War. I was beginning to remember why days like this were so cherished. The pitter patter on the outside continued. I stretched a little then burrowed even deeper into the bed.

_Definitely very nice._

With that thought, my eyelids started to slide shut. I let the feeling wash over me…let myself drift off to sleep.

Little did I know that my comfy little world was about to come crashing down.

**oo**

I woke up sometime later to the ringing of my cellular phone. That in itself was a bit unusual - it was mid-afternoon and most everyone was busy around this time. I rose to consciousness even faster than usual and reached for the phone on the night stand.

"Hello?"

"Hermione?" Ron's deep voice came in over the phone. He sounded urgent. And urgent did not mean anything good. "Hermione, we need you to come over right now."

"Ron?" I sat straight up in bed as he continued. "What on earth is the matter? Where are you?"

"Home at the apartment. Something's come up – something that affects all of us."

That might have been the least helpful or explanatory statement ever made. I was inclined to ask for more details but I had a feeling that Ron was quite distracted.

"Come over where? And who's we?"

"Harry, Ginny, you and I. Get to London and meet us outside of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor in thirty minutes?"

I rolled over and looked out the window. It was still raining hard, even though we were at the very beginning of the summer. I glanced back down to the bed beneath me.

_There goes the day,_ I thought a little sadly.

"Ok. See you then."

Worry pushed me into the bath, and in record time, I was dressed and wearing a shapeless trench coat. It took me almost twenty minutes to find my way to the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron. Perhaps I could have taken a little more time to brush my hair, and maybe the slacks I'd dug out of the laundry basket were a little less than presentable but I'd made it with time to spare. Besides, the rain was steady enough that the effort would have been wasted. Instead I was intent on pushing my way through the crowd to get inside Florean's.

Or that _would _have been the case had someone not bumped into me. I almost fell against the front of the bar. The only things stopping me were the two hands gripping the lapels of my coat.

"I apologize," said the man who held my arms quite stiffly.

The first thing I could think was something that was not suitable for minors. I couldn't see too much of him since the rain was ridiculously forceful. Not only did the hood of my sweatshirt fall off, but my hair managed to get into a friendly match with the wind.

All I could make out was a head of silver blond hair and a heavy black trench coat to match mine.

"I didn't mean to knock…you… down…"

_Silver blond hair?_

His voice faded. My brain ceased to function for a full minute.

"Granger? The Mudblood?"

Pleasantly enough, those were the last comments I heard before he let go of my lapels and strode off through the rain, without an umbrella or a cloak or even a polite goodbye to send me on my way. I stood there for a moment and simply stared after him in shock.

Such a quick useless exchange.

Such a _typical _Malfoy exchange.

My brain kicked back into gear.

He'd long disappeared into the crowd by then and I shook myself. I hadn't the time or patience to deal with him. Not when something big was going on, something so big it required a meeting of everyone still in the city. I just brushed myself off and pulled up my hood, then marched through the rain to the ice cream parlor. When I reached the parlor and stepped inside, shaking out my coat and choosing a seat by the window.

Before I could sit, a female voice call out and I dropped the book on the table and turned to see who called.

"Hermione!"

Ginerva Weasley was one of my favorite people in the world was shoving her way through the crowd to meet me. Although she was currently darting through the crowd with the quickness of a tot, the redhead had matured far beyond her years in the past year. I suppose being in love with the proclaimed savior of the wizarding world, whom she was dragging around behind her, was responsible for a bit of that.

Harry, the Boy Who Lived. Or now that it had been little over half a year since the War - the Boy Who Had Saved the World.

As usual, I momentarily wondered how that cowlick of his managed to defy gravity in a way that also defied explanation. I also took a moment to wonder if he might ever consider accepting the gel I'd purchased for him a few weeks ago. As if he knew exactly what I was thinking, he gave me a look.

I smiled innocently enough and waved everyone over.

"Well, do sit down already," I said easily. "Where's Ron?"

I spoke too soon. Ron, looking more lanky and freckled than ever, was wading through the crowd with a single ice cream cone in hand. . At 6'6, Ron beat out Harry at 6'1, Ginny at 5'8 and myself at 5'6. It was a shame, really. I couldn't even intimidate him anymore. I eyed him apprehensively - things had to be bad if he only planned to eat a simple double-scoop cone.

"Hello," said Harry and Ron at the same time. Ginny just reached over and gave me a hug.

"So what's happening?"

Ron was looking a touch serious. I tugged my trench coat back around my shoulders to brace myself.

"You'll never believe what the Ministry of Magic has pulled…and it's permanent."

"Well, what is it? And how come I haven't heard of this yet if it's so important?"

"Well, you know Mr. Weasley works at the Ministry-" Harry said.

"-so we always hear stuff first," finished Ginny.

"And it's going to be announced tomorrow – letters and all that lot sent out." Ron licked his ice cream rather glumly. "There's no way out of it."

Which still managed to tell me nothing about _something_. They were falling all over each other to tell me absolutely nothing about why I had braved the rain for magical London.

"What, exactly, are you all on about?"

All three shared a look before Ginny answered me.

"Arranged marriage."

For the second time today, my brain ceased to function.

…

…

"Arranged…wait, what?" I asked stupidly. "Arranged what?"

"The Ministry is arranging marriages," Ginny said simply. "As in us. Everyone from ages 16 to 29 who aren't married will be owled tomorrow morning with a letter stating their betrothed and whatever bullshit reason they have for arranging marriages in the first place."

"You're trying to tell me that a nation-wide marriage law is going into effect?"

They nodded.

I still couldn't fathom it.

"And it is going into effect tomorrow?"

They nodded again.

"But we're only eighteen years old and Harry-" I waved a hand, "- is still seventeen while Ginny only just makes that cut-off!"

"I know," Ron sighed as he leant back in his chair. "Doesn't matter. Dad's said it's been in the works for months now, although we have no bloody idea why."

_A marriage law,_ I thought slowly. If memory served, there wasn't much of a precedent for divorce in magical culture, I couldn't say that there was much of one for magical enforcement of a marriage. I had yet to meet a couple that had legally decided to separate ways. It just seemed…well, for lack of better words, it seemed _absent _from wizarding world culture.

_This was the grand ploy of the Ministry? To lope us all together in neat little pairs? _

If the Ministry had been brewing this for months then there wasn't much of a way out. At all. Magical law is as binding as Muggle law, and magic ensures that surveillance on the wizarding community is as efficient as possible. Of course I would still look up as much as I could but-

_Oh my God. Arranged marriage._

The Ministry had now come along and aimed the equivalent of a country-wide Stunning Charm at its youth…with no loopholes in sight.

_But how to get out of it?_

No way as far as I could see. And although countries in war-time often dispense with citizen liberties, we were no longer in War Time. Death Eaters no longer controlled government.

This was an invasion that was completely unheard of. I hadn't too much of an idea of the mechanics of age-old arrange marriages because it was a practice that had been restricted to much of the old-Pureblood families. I hadn't come across it any of my studies, and I doubt I would find much without having the Hogwarts library at my disposal-

"Hermione?"

I looked up, chin in hand. My mind was already racing ahead - where could I find texts on this? Would Professor Lupin or Tonks know anything about arranged marriages? Or even Mr. & Mrs. Weasley? How much money-

"Hermione."

"Yes, yes," I said abruptly, "I'm listening."

"You aren't." Ron was smiling a little bit, arms crossed over his chest. "What you _are_ doing is finding a way to fight this. Any ideas already?"

"Not a single one. There is no precedent for this, and we don't know anything about the kind of magic they are using to bind two people together. Perhaps, if we knew that, I'd be able to-"

I honestly had nothing.

"There's nothing we can do," Gin said sadly.

And when I really thought about it, I rather agreed. I was surprised to find that I was dazed. Numb, even. Who in heavens name had thought as far as a home, husband, kids? I'd been glad to get out of the War with my loved ones intact, and God knows that studying for my Healing exams were more than I could handle at the moment.

And now this? A marriage? An _arranged_ marriage?

I wouldn't be able to tell you how I got home from Florean's. My mind was racing much farther ahead than the present but the rain didn't soothe as it should have. It made me unbearably tired, instead. I didn't even move all the heavy red and bright blue books scattered on my bed before I fell unto it heavily.

Immense change that was about to be implemented in my life.

And not even by me.


	2. Numb

Author's Note - Updated June 3rd, 2011. Thanks you a lot for the support I've gotten so far. Sincere thanks to ffnet friends and inspirations: dracosgirl2515, Bobsessor Queen, blonde-brain, Mysticpammy, Nessa Sue, sithbabe & Dark x Sorrow. Note that I have a deviantart with some visual Dramione works on there. Enjoy.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**Second Cycle**

**Numb**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

I woke up early, very early, to the light gold of morning sunlight. The green alarm clock on the small dresser next to my bed hadn't gone off yet, but I was already wide awake. For a minute, I blinked lazily. It was nice to wake up without the threat of the Dark Mark or a crazy master hell-bent on world domination.

It was nice to wake up with no obligations to anyone but myself. It felt good to just be safe in my own skin.

Just me, myself and I.

Only six months ago had the War ended, and I couldn't take for granted the simple act of getting up at my own discretion. Getting up…waking up…not exactly happy but _content._

Content.

There wasn't anything pressing to do since I was almost finished clearing out father's accounts. It had been the most trying time trying to sort out the well-kept but confusing records he had kept of all business but it had had to be done. The Malfoys had dappled in both legal and illegal ventures, which meant my father had run quite a few businesses that I 'd had to shut down after his death. Mother had insisted that all transactions be done by me, though she'd had as much weight in it as I. Her advice had been sound.

Together, we were slowly righting a few of his – our - wrongs.

I rolled over and off of my bed and unto the lush carpets, landing on my feet, and momentarily wondered if I should even put a shirt on. Nah. I just felt like getting breakfast and sitting around in the Manor.

I opened my bedroom door and padded down the carpeted hallways into the tiled kitchen. It was too early to be blinded by the kitchen's startlingly white interior so I settled for rapping on a wall and calling for my personal house-elf.

"You called?"

Cranky, having apparated right at my feet with a pop of displaced air, was winking cheerily. For such a gloomy name, the creature was quite possibly the most cheerful servant the House of Malfoy had ever owned. He also managed to speak more proper English than any hous-elf I had ever come across.

"Breakfast – sausage, eggs, bacon, English muffin, and orange juice."

"A second one?" Cranky asked this with one arched nonexistent eyebrow.

He had a sense of humor too. I didn't allow myself more than a smirk.

"I assume my mother is already down-stairs, then?"

He bobbed his head and dipped into a low bow.

"Never mind then, I suppose. Run the bath in an hour, please."

It had taken a few months to really warm up to the idea of being polite to a being that I hadn't considered much more than ornamental. Another righting of a wrong, perhaps just for myself.

Another bow, before Cranky disappeared with barely a crack through the air.

Though Mother could hardly be accused of sloth, she rarely made an appearance on Sunday mornings before ten o'clock. If she was awake and up, then something was up. I intended to find out what exactly that was.

**oo**

"Draco," Mother said calmly, "I don't think you understand me. There is no choice in this matter."

On one level, my brain understood logically that my anger was fruitless. No amount of inappropriate behavior would change the Ministry. I was on my feet in our living room, nervously pacing around while my arms flew up in the air. But-

"No choice? No choice!" I fumed. "I don't even have a choice?"

I had to marry some witch not of my own choice.

I had only gotten wind of this news the day that it was happening.

There had been no warning since I hadn't read the Daily Prophet. Although apparently there had been no indication of a law-

"Sit down and stop shouting." There was steel in my mother's voice, and it was the steel that forced me dejectedly to a seat. "The letter will arrive shortly. You must calm down a little before we find out who it is."

_Marriage? _I thought wildly. _Marriage? A marriage law? _

I couldn't believe it. My mother sat there, calm and serene, after ripping down the peace that I had created for myself. As if she could read my mind, her eyes soften.

"I'm so very sorry, my son," she said carefully. Her hands reached for mine, took mine in a show of support that seemed to make the news harder to bear.

"I'm not ready for this."

The corners of her mouth turned up faintly.

"I doubt any of your peers are."

"And you had no idea?" I was surprised that my mother didn't know who my betrothed was, although the Malfoy connection with the new Ministry was nothing short of non-existant. "Forget I asked, Mother. I'm sorry."

When a house-elf entered the parlor bearing a letter, she let go of me altogether and said-

"I'm sorry as well."

My mother reached forward to take the letter, thanking and dismissing the house elf Kindly. She opened the letter without a word, and read through the letter. The only indication received of what was to come was one raised eyebrow and a somewhat dubious look. Silently, she handed me the letter.

I am a Malfoy, and as such, I am sometimes given to rare…dramatic…displays of emotion. I wanted nothing – _absolutely nothing _– to do with that letter. That letter was going to be my doom. This was not going to be one of those dramatic displays of emotion.

I read it.

I put it down carefully on the heavy oak table.

I walked out of the parlor in utter silence and padded back down the hall into my bedroom. Though it was almost one o'clock in the afternoon, I hoped to discover that this had all been an awful dream.

I slipped into bed and went back to sleep.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

The day in which the Ministry set out to ruin the lives of hundreds of young men and women dawned clear. I find this funny if only because summer usually equals 'damp, dark and wet' where England is concerned.

_At least, we have the weather to console us._

I had woken up at noon which was pretty late for me, taking 10 hours of sleep to try and prepare myself for the shock that was bound to come this afternoon. Now it was time to prepare my parents for the shock as well.

"Hullo Mum!" I said with a brightness that wasn't altogether fake. The woman on the other end of the phone was one of my strongest lifelines and if there was a problem to be solved, she helped me think critically about it from every angle. She would know what to do, if anything. "How was yesterday? And Dad?

"Hi honey! Dad is fine," I could almost hear the smile on the other end of the line. "The dentists' convention in Brunswick was excellent. New procedures, and all that, and updates in the field. He went to the practice early."

"Mum, I have some news for you. I'm going to be very direct about it because there isn't any other way to say this." I had to take a deep breathe and just spit it out. "The Ministry of Magic has arranged a marriage for me."

Perhaps that had been a little bit _too_ blunt, if the deafening silence on the other end of the phone was any indication. I knew she had heard me. I took another large breath before rapidly plunging ahead.

"Apparently, wizards of a certain age span are being set up with fellow witches. There seems to be no say in it, and magic is involved, and we're on lucky we know ahead of time because Mr. Weasley and Percy work at the Ministry. Although, it sounds really awful you shouldn't be alarmed Mum."

I was babbling. Mum was still silent. And God, I wanted to babble more and fill in the silence.

"Mum?"

"Yes, dear?" Her voice was faint and a bit distracted. "I'm still here, Hermione…this is a bit of a shock."

"Yes, well, it's a bit of a shock for all young wizards all over England as well. The paper only told us about it the same day that we would receive the letters." Another big breath and I was rambling again. "I don't have much more information, Mum. The letter will be owled here under the hour and Ron, Ginny, Harry and I decided that we would all open our letters together."

I heard my mum expel a sound that started midway between a sigh and gasp.

"This can't possibly be legal."

I laughed wretchedly. "When it's coming from the government, it certainly is, Mum."

"Don't get shirty with me, young lady," she snapped half-heartedly. "There's nothing at all? Nothing you can do?"

_Absolutely nothing,_ I thought briefly.

"No."

Mum took another shaky breath.

"Heavens, I have to call your father immediately. Well, there isn't anyone in your life romantically, is there? So, this can't possibly destroy anything."

Mum was right. Though a lot of people had betted on Ron and I ending up together (truthfully, even _we had_ at one point in time), there was nothing but friendship there. When we'd both decided to admit that we were going to stay friends, it was like a weight was lifted. We were even closer now than we had been before. So,

"Not at all. I'm far more worried for Ginny and Harry. If the Ministry- heaven forbid, I can't even imagine it. If the Ministry doesn't recognize what those two have with each other, I will ruin this law _myself_."

"Very true," Mum continued. "Since the letter will be here and you and the gang need to go…convene somewhere, I'll let you go."

"Okay, Mum."

"But as soon as you get back home, Iwant you to call me," she said in her I-brook-no-nonsense tone of voice**.** "Immediately, young lady. And I expect your father to have more than a bit to say about this."

There was no arguing with her once she used that tone on you, so I said goodbye and hung up. Just then, I heard the tapping of owl claws at my kitchen window and I got up from the table to open it. In came the handsome brown owl, down came the letter in a clean white envelope, and out went the owl again.

Out went the breath in my body, as well.

I didn't look too closely at the letter. Rather, I couldn't look too closely at the letter. Melodramatic as this may be, I felt quite terrible every time I tried to approach it so I left it alone on the table to get my Floo powder. I wouldn't touch it until I absolutely had to.

It was time to go meet my best friends at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor for a little date with destiny.

**oo**

We all sat down at the same little table that we had found ourselves at yesterday. The place was busier than it usually was but the looks on every face ranged from glum to extremely depressed.

It might as well have been a funeral.

Just then my musing was broken by the nervous laughter of a girl nearby. I turned in my white chair to see just who was laughing like that, and was surprised to see Parvati and Padma Patil sitting at a nearby table. A third girl whom I didn't recognize dressed in red was sitting with them and waving excitedly at the table. Though they didn't see me, I could make out clearly two letters with Ministry seals sitting unopened on their table.

Apparently, destiny and ice-cream went hand-in-hand.

"I would love to be able to say 'let's get this over with' if I weren't so bloody afraid of this letter," Ginny said with a wry smile. She and Harry were holding hands. "I don't know if I've ever been less excited to get mail."

"First of all, I just want to say that whoever she is, I will treat her right." Ron looked around at all of us before pulling his own letter clumsily out of the front pocket of his summer cloak. But please, _please Merlin, _anyone but Millicent Bulstrode."

We all laughed.

"Who wants to open their letter first?"

Harry shook his head. "Not me."

"Me neither," said Ginny.

"I suppose I'll go if you do, Ron."

The quicker we open them, the faster the torture was over. Ron grinned, picked up his letter, ripped it open. With a steady hand, he read silently. The entire table held its breath as we watched his eyebrows rise in shock. His jaw went slack, his eyes looked perplexed.

"Padma Patil."

My eyes widened in considerable shock and I heard Ginny gasp and Harry cough by the table. The clever Ravenclaw? Parvati's _twin_? Who was _also_ in the shop?

"Padma…Patil?"

Ron sat staring at the table, his freckles standing out on a pale face that had broken out into a sweat.

"Padma Patil."

Ron looked incapable of hearing or understanding English at the moment, which was probably a very good thing if he hadn't the faintest idea that his future wife was in the same room. I reached over and tugged on the hand that lay limply on the table.

"Ron?" I held his hand tightly. "At least, you know her from school. Someone else might be betrothed to someone they hate or someone they don't know at all."

Silence still reigned at the table. Harry and Ginny held hands but detached one so she could start rubbing Ron's back. He didn't look like he felt it and Harry was, still sitting and looking worriedly at Ron. I decided that my letter would have to be the distraction.

"Yes…uh…Hermione, you should read your letter," Harry said a bit loudly.

At that Ron looked up, the dazed look fading from his eyes. He was coming back temporarily to listen to who we were betrothed to. Since I was still holding his hands, I felt him squeeze back then let go. He nodded and a smile tugged at his lips.

With shaking hands, I reached inside the same gray sweatshirt and pulled out my letter. Dear Lord above, I closed my eyes and tried to still my pounding heart. Harry whispered words of encouragement and Ginny reached out to give me a brief pat on the arm.

With a vicious rip, I opened up the top of the envelope and yanked my letter out. I steadied my hands, opened up the letter, and read slowly and carefully.

**Dear Miss Hermione Jean Granger,**

**As of today, the Ministry of Magic has instated a new marriage law that will apply to witches and wizards of ages sixteen through twenty-nine. **

**Though this may appear to be a sudden and drastic measure, be reassured that the Ministry has taken the necessary steps and precautions to ensure that each and every witch and wizard is matched with someone suitable compatible. We are matching wizards and witches with their soul mates, the ones that have the greatest potential of providing mutual happiness. **

**It should be noted that these matches are not random. For security reasons, the specifics of the extensive choosing process will not be disclosed. Be reassured that your match is the best choice for you.**

**The Ministry requires immediate cooperation from the populace, as it will be in your best interest to contact your betrothed as soon as possible. The magic that binds the witch and wizard together is already in effect. **

**Miss Hermione Granger, you betrothed is Mr. Draco Malfoy.**

**Further documentation and paperwork will be owled to you on the morrow. Please sign the attached blank page and return it. We wish you good luck with your marriage.**

**Have a magical day!**

**Melda Babcock**

**Department of Mysteries Office**

**Ministry of Magic**

I finished my letter in silence, and then put it on the table where the bold letters screamed out that name to the sky and everyone else at the table. I couldn't even speak, the image of his sneering mouth and silver blonde hair and scathing words choking up my throat. I tried to escape from the table, only managing to rise unsteadily to my feet.

Spots swam before my eyes and I detachedly realized that my knees weren't holding up well. I saw three blurs reach out to break my fall in vain as my head collided with the table. My vision started to fade.

As the floor flew up to meet me, blackness fell.


	3. Realization

Author's Note - Updated June 6th, 2011. This chapter is dedicated to TulipsandJill, as it was before. The other couples are meant to be surprises, as I did some interesting pairing up at the start.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**Third Cycle**

**Realization**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

It felt like I'd been hit by a car.

Or maybe a truck.

Yes…a truck. A truck hauling boulders. A truck hauling boulders laced with explosives, or steel, or something that made the entire thing weigh about a mountain and a half.

That truck had magically appeared in the middle of an ice-cream shop in wizarding London in the form of a letter. It had run me _right_ over.

Was it clear that I was still in shock, when I woke up sometime later in a bed that wasn't my own?

Not only was I still in shock, but my mental acuity had not dimmed in the slightest. I remembered everything, everything, _everything _about Draco Malfoy. Every single thing in the last eight years of horrible acquaintance. Everything he had ever said, everything he had ever done – all of it had apparently marched its way through my consciousness.

When I tried to ease my eyes open, all I could see was his trademark smirk behind my eyelids.

"**Miss Hermione Granger, your betrothed is Mr. Draco Malfoy."**

There were people here. Someone was holding my hand. I couldn't find enough in me to open my eyes to see who they were.

_It could be due to the fact that a)I've hit my head hard enough to leave a scar and b)I'm supposed to marry Draco Malfoy._

Heaven forbid.

_What am I going to do?_

Just before opening that blasted letter, I had tried to comfort Ron with the words "at least it's not someone you don't know, or worse, someone you hate." A pretty trick fate had played on me – Draco Malfoy was someone who I knew _and_ hated.

Just thinking about this made the pain in my head swell to epic proportions. For a moment, I tried to stave the coming blackness. Then I slipped back into unconsciousness.

**oo**

The next time my eyes opened was not nearly as pleasant as the first.

I was in a bad mood, I _still_ felt as if I'd been hit by a truck, and my small hospital room had filled in the time it had taken me to rise back to consciousness. It seemed as if the entire world turned up its volume the minute I opened my eyes.

I barely had a chance to blink before Mum was cooing over me. Ginny seemed to be shouting at a Healer in yellow robes by the foot of my bed. Harry was on his feet right behind her, trying to calm Gin down, while Ron and my father seemed to be arguing quite heatedly on my left. The twins, who I had only just realized were in the room, were busy doing _something_ over on the other side of the room. It was like order had exploded. There was just a general hubbub of noise, chaos, and everything I didn't need right now. I closed my eyes and-

"I'm tired, I'm getting married to Draco Malfoy, I have a splitting headache, and everyone needs to _shut up._"

The loud silence afterward, as everyone froze where they were, was just what I needed to collect myself before I spoke.

"Firstly, let me apologize for yelling." I opened my eyes to see that everyone was still frozen in place. "I just have splitting headache, and my life has taken a turn for the worst, and I needed a bit of peace to keep me sane."

What happened?" I asked as I rubbed my head again, trying to ignore the pain. "And could anyone get me something for my head?"

The Healer Disapparated in a swirl of yellow robes. I looked around at everyone.

"Well, when you read the letter," he coughed, "you fainted and managed to knock yourself out on the table edge as well. We brought you here immediately and had you checked in."

I wasn't surprised. I've never been accused of gracefulness, although this was the first time I'd managed a head wound.

"Checked in?"

"You've been out for hours," my Dad added in and reached forward to brush back some of my hair from my face. "About nine or ten, I'd say."

"What's the verdict?"

"The Healers say you have a mild concussion and need to rest up a little." I winced and rubbed my head absently. No _wonder_ I felt like I'd been manhandled by a giant then caught in the middle of a stampede.

"When do I-"

"Tomorrow morning, if you like," a male voice said loudly. The Healer in yellow had returned with a smile and the Ache Potion which I dearly needed for my head. I inhaled it as if my name was Ronald Weasley. "But you should rest now to do so. Everyone will need to wrap this up in the next 10 minutes. I'll return to make sure you do."

"Gave us a scare there," said George. "We should all leave sooner than later-

"-so we'll go sooner," finished Fred. "Feel better, 'Mione."

They left the way they'd entered, with as much fanfare and noise as possible. I looked towards Harry and Ginny, who were now holding hands. Their joined hands were a comfort to me, despite the fact that my future included a blond ferret.

"I take it that either you two didn't open your letters or you're soul mates."

They smiled, first at each other then at me. It was the most reassuring sight of my day.

"Lovely," I sighed happily, "that is just lovely. I-"

"We'll talk more tomorrow," Harry interrupted with a smile and a pat on my shoulder. "You need your rest."

"And you?" I asked Ron.

"Worried about you more than anything else," he answered gruffly. I squeezed his hand when he reached out to touch my face. "We'll be out of your hair in a bit."

"Tomorrow," I promised. "I'll owl you as soon as I'm home, I swear it."

The three of them looked doubtful.

"We could just come here and help you-"

I shook my head.

"It barely hurts at this point. I'll be fine. Go on, go on."

Those three walked out of the door as well, waving, before I turned to my parents.

I sat up in bed with difficulty, and motioned my father out of his chair and unto the bed. Daddy hadn't so much as moved throughout this entire debacle. He looked quite angry, as if the row with Ron was lingering long afterward. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, enfolding him in a hug and not minding that the black jacket made him a lot bulkier. Daddy certainly needed it.

"Daddy, I'm really very alright. And about the letter, don't worry about it. Don't worry about it too much tonight. We'll worry tomorrow, ok?" I released him and kissed him on the face.

I'm sure Daddy was just like most fathers of women under the age of twenty. He had probably thought that he wouldn't have to worry about a son-in-law for years to come. And who was I kidding? Until now, the most important things in my life were my family, friends and studying for the preliminary Healer exams taking place next week coincidentally.

"Your mother told me you don't think it's reversible."

I looked at Mum who shrugged.

"I truly don't think it is, Daddy," I said quietly. "You know I would try if I could, and might try yet."

"Sweetheart, we'll be here in the morning to get you back to your apartment."

So Daddy didn't want to speak about it. I could live with that for now. My mother kissed my forehead, swept hair back from my face.

"We'll be right here when you wake up," she said reassuringly. "Get some sleep, get some rest."

If at all possible, I would.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

In an attempt to erase my new reality, my body went into overdrive.

I slept an incredible nine hours – _nine!_ Nine, full hours! – and woke up with staring blankly at my green walls. When I glanced over at my night desk, that cursed letter _still _lay there.

It was not a dream.

It was a nightmare.

I had to marry Hermione Granger, the Mudblood who had been a part of the Golden Boy trio with Ron 'Weaselbee' Weasley and Harry 'Scarhead' Potter. I was marrying the Hermione Granger who had beaten me in every single class, from Potions to Transfiguration and everything in between. I was marrying Hermione Granger who stood for everything the Malfoys were traditionally against.

I was marrying Hermione Granger.

The letter said that we would have to get in touch with each other within two days of receiving the later and I wondered if I should do it sooner or later. _Later, much later, _I thought frantically_._ If she was anywhere near the emotional state that I was in, we would need some time to get ourselves together before meeting in the flesh.

_This is madness._

I stumbled out of my bed again and slammed my head into my hands. I needed to talk to someone. I also needed a phone that would be able to withstand the centuries of magic that had been done on Manor property, because the available prototypes got wonky when they hit Diagon Alley. Muggles might be lacking in magic but they sure as hell made up for it in their inventions. I needed to Floo powder which I retrieved from above the bedroom fireplace. Damn it, I also needed to keep my head going in a single direction.

Which really meant that the one person I needed to talk to was-

"Blaise. Can you tell me why I am marrying one of my worst enemies?"

The good thing about best friends is that they _rarely_ get snarky when one barges in on them in their homes. The fireplace had taken me straight to one of his favorite studies, where Blaise Zabini liked to read in spare time.

Blaise looked amused and disdainful all at once. No one would know it (alright, perhaps everyone _had _known it since he'd never made bones about hiding his feelings) but Blaise had been a bit of an arsehole when he was younger.

Well, no.

Blaise Zabini had been the sort of person who disliked everyone and everything else on principle. He would probably argue with a history text, for Merlin's sake. He also managed to be rather practical and detached when it came down to business, which most saw as cold reasoning. But he was very logical (even if he was a snob sometimes) and very straightforward and had the most disconcerting sense of humor when he was in a good mood. Now that the War was behind us, he was less of a cynic and more of a mild critic.

"Well good evening to you too, mate," he drawled. "Please, make yourself at home as usual."

I glared. Then I took the scone he offered me.

"Have another one," Blaise said, still holding the scones up. "It should do wonders for that rabid temper of yours."

"I beg your pardon?" I sniffed.

"As you should," he parried. That was the thing about best mates. Making fun of one in times of distress. "Sit. Talk. Who is she? I can think of many females who would not be agreeable to such an idea."

Which really meant anyone who had fought for the Light side, really.

I sidestepped that treacherous thought and stared at him. Blaise looked relaxed…and pleased…and smug?

"Blaise," I said slowly, "you can't be that happy unless you're getting married to…wait, who are you getting married to, exactly?"

"I asked you first. You answer first, and then I'll tell you."

"What?" I scoffed, "is this 'show me yours first and I'll show you mine'? You look happy. Who is she?"

He said nothing. I sighed.

"Fine, Zabini, even though you're not going to believe it."

"As long as she's pretty, there shouldn't be a problem. And she _is_ supposed to be the other half of your soul, right?"

"Spoken like the materialistic bastard you are," I snarled.

"Spoken like the _pragmatic_ bastard I am," he retorted happily. "Attraction will always be the glue that initially brings two people together. All you need is to be _interested_ in your future wife."

"Why are you eighteen years old and a know-it-all?"

"It's like asking me why my Mother continues to marry and bury. It's just a law of nature." He shrugged. "So tell me – who is she?"

"I'm…I'm marrying…Merlin, this is hard…I'm marrying Hermione Granger."

Blaise Zabini, contrary to popular opinion, was not all-knowing. If I didn't know any better, I would say that it looked like he'd momentarily forgotten to breathe. The flash of pity on his face seemed to encompass every _single_ thing that was wrong with today. He understood it.

I had hated her. She had returned the feeling in kind.

And she was a Muggle-born witch, the very thing that that insane creature that freelanced under the name of Voldemort had despised. At the end of the day, this union was going to be something that defied the very definition of being a part of the snobby Pureblood aristocracy.

I let him stare at me. Merlin, he was entitled to the shock _and_ it had finally shut him up.

"Merlin's Balls," he breathed. "Have another scone. I forgive you for your sudden dropping in."

I had another one while he blinked rapidly.

"Hermione Granger, eh?"

"Hermione Granger," I echoed. "Do you see what I see?"

"One of you might die at the hands of the other." Blaise looked amazed. "I'm not even sure who to bet on at the moment. And to think the letter tried to reassure us before it told us whom we were betrothed to."

"The translation of it must be something like 'A happy couple would logically lead happy lives. No evil, no new Voldemort'." He looked as disconcerted as I was unhappy. I continued. "We're legal, but just barely. The letter didn't explain this situation in great detail."

"Complaining is going to get you nowhere," Blaise said with an air of practicality. "And I know you don't want to hear that right now, but it's true. Even though you're marrying Granger, if both of you try hard enough, the marriage will at least be civil."

His calm was irritating.

It was also the reason I came to him first.

"You're only taking this well because you _like_ whoever you're marrying," I snorted in annoyance. "_And who is this girl?_"

"You know her very well."

There weren't many girls I could say I knew very well…it clicked.

"Please don't tell me that you're marrying Pansy."

When he smiled, I allowed myself to be shocked. Pansy Parkinson, whom I hadn't seen in over two months after her employment in the Department of International Relations? I hadn't so much as seen an owl from the chit in those eight or nine weeks. And Blaise-

"You and _Pansy_?" I asked.

"I meant to tell you but we've been swamped at the office, and I know you're trying to wrap up the entire thing with Knobb's. I happened to run into her a week ago at the Leaky Cauldron – it was pure chance. She's gorgeous now…"

His voice trailed off as he apparently had a daydream about his future wife.

"Well, I'm pleased that you're pleased with your other half but listen to me and forget Pansy for now, alright! What am I going to do with Hermione?"

I wondered how he managed to make an arched eyebrow translate into something dirty and knowing. I scowled.

"Not like that! I mean, how exactly do I go about contacting her and such?"

"Well," he reasoned, "You should take the initiative to contact her first. Remember, that those letters were steeped in magic. We also have a time limit of two days to get in touch with our betrothed and inform the Ministry with some sort of short correspondence."

"And the letter said something about 'documentation' – those documents are supposed to get here when?"

"I actually don't know," Blaise said slowly. "I suppose soon enough. We could ask them to send it to us early. Otherwise, you contact your 'fiancée' quickly and start getting acquainted with each other through spending time together. I have yet to understand the full wording."

That was new, if only because it was a rare day in England when Blaise couldn't read between lines.

"I'll owl a letter in to the Ministry tonight then, asking for both you and I then. Anything else you have figured out?"

"Nothing really."

"Heard anything from the others?" I asked glumly. "I bet everyone will be tickled to find out."

"They return tomorrow morning so we might as well ask them ourselves."

Crabbe, Goyle, and Nott had been in another part of the country for some reason or other. Theodore Nott was the other half of 'Nott & Zabini', the business office that he and Blaise had founded as soon as they'd emerged from the War. Theo was handling some particularly delicate deal that could make or break things for their establishment.

Crabbe was somewhere in Italy with his mum. Goyle had gone farther than all the others and taken himself off to Russia to see as much of the country as he could.

"Stag night at the end of the week?"

"End of the week?"

Blaise palmed his face.

"We have three important meetings to lock down before the weekend, and I doubt Theo or I will be able to get away before Friday."

"Friday it is, then," I said. "It'll give us enough time to make peace with this new…thing…"

I choked on the end of the sentence.

"Don't think so hard about it, mate," Blaise muttered sympathetically. "I'm starting to adopt that absurd Hufflepuff belief that everything will be alright."

"Please." I stood and swiped a scone for the road. "I'm off to write Her Bookworm Highness a note. I'll be seeing you tomorrow."

I tossed a handful of Floo into the fireplace, declared my destination, and stumbled out of my fireplace and back into my bedroom. I pulled out some parchment to begin my letter to the Ministry since that would be the easier one. It was a fairly short one, just asking for the 'male' papers in advance for myself and Blaise.

After that, all that was left was the letter to Granger.

It was the most difficult thing I have ever had to write. I started on the letter at 9:45 P.M. – it was not finished and owled out until midnight.

With much delayed decision, and crossing out, and rewriting the final end product was this:

**Granger.**

**It seems that we have had the most unfortunate luck to be tied together through fate, try as we might to escape it. I propose some sort of meeting in the following week to go over the letters that we have received in turn, and to discuss the terms of this affair. I also hope to clear up any disillusions that you may have about me…and what exactly is happening, though I don't know much myself. You may pick the place and time. I have alerted the Ministry already.**

**Draco Malfoy**

I cannot deny that it was truly a terrible letter – my feelings were still all over the place, it was late at night, and it was all I could do to manage to be perfectly civil with all the cursing at fate that was taking place in my head.

Truthfully, it was the best that I could come up with at the time. After I sent my owl off with the letter, I gave in to exhaustion. Without bothering to even turn off the lights, I rolled over and dropped right off to sleep.

font face="Bookman Old Style, Book Antiqua, Garamond" 


	4. An Ordinary Day

Author's Note - Updated June 18th, 2011. This chapter is dedicated to Bobsessor Queen, as it was before. Good to know that the War took place during their Seventh Year and ended sometime in December/January.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**Fourth Cycle**

**Another Ordinary Day**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

8:30 A.M.

"Ugh."

I pulled my pillow on top of my head and tried to ignore the sun.

_Taptaptap. Tap. TAPTAP-_

"Bloody _hell_."

The tapping at the window was a sound that could only be produced by an owl with a letter and in a hurry. I slowly got up and trudged the two feet to my bedroom window, grabbing my coin purse. As soon as I opened the window, the owl began pecking my arms for payment.

"Two Knuts," I said aloud as I paid. The wretched owl dropped the letter unto my head, wheeled around, and flew straight back out. At the sight of the Ministry seal, all of yesterday's events came rushing back into my head.

The breakfast with Mother, the talk with Blaise and the marriage to Granger.

Today was not going to be a good day.

**oo**

I opened the letter as I sat down to breakfast in my sitting room. Though English muffins usually did the trick in keeping me calm, I couldn't help but wince around a bite. The fabric of my life was unraveling around me faster than I could sew it up and-

-more tapping at the window.

"My God," I groaned in frustration. It was far too early for all this activity. "What is my life turning into?"

This time, it was a beautiful russet-streaked owl that I didn't recognize at all. Unfortunately, it looked like the animal had already taken an instant dislike to me since she pecked me quite hard even when I attempted to pay her. It looked a bit touch-and-go there for a moment when she glared me down. I could have laughed, if I didn't think that she might take that as a go-ahead to rip me to pieces.

"Come on, come on, girl," I muttered with my hands raised. If she wanted to be appeased, she damn well would be. "I just want to pay you and get that letter."

She glared. And glared. And it finally clicked that she was probably a personal owl (which explained why she'd attempted to riddle me with holes when I tried to reach for Knuts).

"Sorry," I muttered.

Merlin, I was apologizing to an animal.

"Can I have the letter, please?"

She eyed me balefully then fairly tossed the letter at me before wheeling out the window again. I caught it from sheer agility alone.

**Meet me outside Fluorish & Blott's today at 3:30 P.M.**

**H.G.**

_Well,_ I thought to myself. _Well, then._

Of course her damned owl was as unfriendly as she was.

Sitting here at my dining table, eating an English muffin and gulping down black coffee, it was hard to imagine that I had ever been at the forefront of the Death Eaters fighting for Lord Voldemort.

The last time we parted was before I threw my lot in with the Death Eaters at the close of Sixth Year. I had stood in the group who had brought about the demise of one of the greatest wizards ever known to mankind, and it was thought that I had helped kill Professor Dumbledore and Merlin knew that I hadn't been able to pull through.

For all intents and purposes, I had become even more firmly '_enemy_' in the eyes of Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger.

I have no idea how anyone on the other side passed the long eight months the War lasted. I can't imagine the madness that must have rushed the other side into quick action, with Snape's name being added to the list of traitors to the Ministry and more fortifications. All I knew was that the Potter and his best mates were out for Malfoy blood. When I later met Weasley in a brief skirmish between Aurors and Death Eaters, the crazy redhead came close to killing me.

Insanity and quick tempers ran fast in that family, damn it, and it was the only the disturbance of other curses and hexes and death curses flying around us that had ended the battle. I don't know if he fully realized who exactly he'd been fighting, since he literally looked wild in the eyes, and I'm not sure he would have until afterwards. No doubt Weasley would have told his best friend. There was almost nothing secret between those three.

How does one measure the flow of time after trauma?

Although I'd been loath to admit this of myself early on, 'Draco Malfoy' had done a lot of growing up in the last year. It almost felt as if I should change my name, peel back the layers of my skin, find a new one to inhabit – all to represent the growing up. The episode with Dumbledore had taught me strength – I realized that the Headmaster was going to die for his beliefs, and for the people he loved and wanted to protect. I had my mother to look out for, and with Father breathing down my back, the Malfoy standards had to be upheld. As the latest generation of Malfoy heirs, it would be me doing it.

I had quickly come to realize that Lord Voldemort was a maniac. Something had gone wrong with that man/thing/creature from his very birth. He was certifiably insane, a raging lunatic with the cunning intellect of a being far removed from earthly worries. He was a walking book of opposing ideals…caring nothing for anything other than power for power's sake yet claiming that his thirst wasn't _selfish_. Is there anything more selfish, more personally-satisfying than reaching for something you _want_ and _not stopping _until you have it?

You can see why I hastened to learn Occlumency from my godfather soon after entering the fold.

I'd done everything – God, everything – in my power to make sure I'd stayed out of the Dark Lord's way as much as humanly possible. I grew a conscience somewhere along the way, pity for his erstwhile victims strung up in a Malfoy study, the torture chambers in the basement…screams. Blaise's mother had drawn him away from battle (the woman could scent danger on the wind, I swear to high heaven) and the four of us left had kept it together.

Somehow.

The final battle brought me into contact with Potter, the Boy Who Lived, and it was quite a surprise to find that Potter wasn't even focused on killing me. It was Voldermort that he wanted to find, though Snape and I were the ones responsible for killing Professor Dumbledore. Seeing that, I stepped aside and let him go find the person he was destined to fight. Our school rivalry would still be strong as ever, but I knew that there were bigger things out there than our issues right then.

So how _does_ one measure it? The time? The way our lives can be as long or as short as the heavens decide?

Because the person that Hermione Granger would meet today was nothing like the boy she'd known in Sixth Year.

_Or at least I sincerely hope so, _I thought sourly.

The thing was that I wasn't extremely different from the young man who fought in the final Battle at Hogwarts three months ago.

Bloody hell, I had no idea what to do.

Strangely enough, I can still remember seeing Hermione briefly during that last battle. In fact, she had swirled like some sort of warrior princess, with quick & calculated attacks which left at least half a dozen Death Eaters around her motionless on the ground. It was a brief glimpse. That was my very last glance of Hermione Granger, in all her glory, before I was attacked from behind by a couple of Aurors. Except-

"Holy fuck," I cursed aloud. The English muffin in my mouth suddenly seemed hard to chew as I remembered the encounter.

"I apologize," I had said to the woman that I had accidentally knocked into. I had just reached forward to grab the lapels of her heavy trench coat before my brain kicked into gear.

_Brown eyes and curly brown hair?_

"I didn't mean to knock…you… down…"

"Granger? The Mudblood?" So utterly confused was I that I'd just jogged off into the heavy rain without another word.

I had called her Mudblood yesterday. I was in a cauldron-load of trouble. _Oh Lord._

The English muffin, long forgotten in my musings, now seemed tasteless.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

This morning seemed like something out of a dream, with my parents helping me out of St. Mungo's patients ward and into my apartment. Potent magic made handsets go haywire but as soon as I was off St. Mungo property, I had called Ron and Harry to tell them that I would meet them sometime later. I knew they would handle relaying the info to everyone else.

A letter from Malfoy had arrived late last night. The Healer who had delivered it had been expressionless, which told me that St. Mungoes took no chances with anything coming into the grounds. The letter managed to be reserved, condescending, and patronizing all at the same time. I had seen red simply looking at his stupid perfect handwriting. Now here I was, impatiently waiting for him outside the small store Fluorish & Blott's.

God knew I didn't want to be there.

He was still the same prejudiced prat he'd been when he'd left Hogwarts. How pathetic was it that our last interaction had involved him calling me a Mudblood? He hadn't changed at all – he still tossed aroundd insults – not that he hurt me. It was just obvious that he wasn't any different from the imbecile he was at school.

Now I was rambling and repetitive in my own head!

_Peace, _I thought to myself. I yanked my cloak closer to me and focused on breathing easily. _Focus on deflecting the wind and staying calm above all._

It was much easier said than done. Just then, the unwelcome sight of Draco Malfoy came into view.

A cloak of a deep royal blue set and the simple white sweater he wore underneath set off his perpetually pale skin. He towered of most everyone in the crowd and I guessed he'd grown as tall as Harry had. The trademark Malfoy silver blonde hair was shoulder length and glistened as if an invisible sun hung above his head. The most interesting change this – he carried himself with a maturity that hadn't been there before. He walked as if he knew more about the world.

I suppose he did at this point…didn't we all?

Just as I was getting ready to scrutinize him more, he finally caught sight of me looking at him. I had prepared myself to see him again. I had most certainly _not_ prepared myself for the feeling that jumped between us at the moment our eyes met was nearly indescribable.

Draco Malfoy's icy blue-gray eyes were clear, as if he'd known I'd been watching him all along. He returned the speculative look that I had been sending him just mere seconds ago. It shocked me – heavens, it made me want to take a step back! – and there was a moment where my guard fell. The world narrowed down to that look and those eyes and that face and his gaze.

Before I knew it, Malfoy was standing in front of me and staring down at me.

"Granger," he said softly. His low voice broke the spell, and brought me back to reality.

I took a deep breath and inclined my head.

"Malfoy."

I felt an insane need to pause this moment, to halt the flow of time so that I could pretend that my life wasn't changing drastically from this day onwards. I wanted to pretend.

Damn it, I wanted-

"Shall we?" he said slowly. "Go on, I mean."

I blinked. My guard rose again.

_This is going to be the most awkward conversation in the history of all conversations._

"Of course," I said shortly. "Follow me."

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

_What in the name of Merlin was that?_ I thought as I followed the petite witch in front of me.

Hermione Granger's brown eyes had met mine, and for a split second, I was so disoriented that the urge to…to…I don't even know.

Eloquent? No. Truthful? Yes.

I had just wanted to stand there and stare at her for the rest of my days just so that feeling wouldn't dissipate. Which was beyond odd because I didn't particularly like the witch. Which was doubly odd because Hermione Granger sure as hell didn't like _me. _I'd opened my mouth ready to say something smooth and debonair and all that had come out was her name.

Her name.

A more splendid way to kick off this uncomfortable conversation! This had to be Ministry magic – I was very willing to blame anything for the strange spell that had overtaken me.

Now that my brain was fully functioning again, I began to notice just how much Granger had changed. She wasn't much taller than our Hogwarts days but her hair was just as wild as it had always been. All those insanely tight curls were a rather pretty dark brown that hung down to midway through her back. And was it just me or was she wearing a pair of jeans underneath her cloak that were tighter than usual?

I needed to remember that this was not the time to take notice of these things. I had a job – alright, a goal – to do. Or accomplish.

_Whatever, _I thought determinedly. _No emotion would be better than anything at all._

Granger led the way into a small shop that was new to this corner of Diagon Alley. She gestured to a window table and we both sat down facing each other looking anywhere but at the person across. A loud silence ensued.

After a ridiculous amount of wasted time spent staring out the window at many a passerby, I couldn't stand the silence anymore.

"Since we came to talk, we should probably start."

She tore her glance from the linoleum tiles just briefly enough to quirk an eyebrow at me.

"I thought you'd never start." Her gaze went straight back to the floor, as if she found it infinitely more interesting than this talk would be.

I ignored her comment, and rushed into the speech that I had prepared beforehand.

"Since we are going to be…tied together…for…life," I coughed, "what I am trying to say is that if we are going to be…married, there are certain things that we are going to have to…tolerate…in the other person."

Hermione Granger still couldn't be bothered to listen closely. Her eyes had now moved unto the light blue of the chair at the table closest to us, though she showed no acknowledgement of my speech. I continued, only the slightest bit deterred.

"It's clear from the letters that we received that we don't have a choice. Aside from all the 'soulmate' bull, we've been thrown together without our own input. So it's up to us to decide how we're going to do this."

"Also, from the minute we opened the letters, we were magically bound to meet each other within 48 hours. It seems that, in order to form a bond, we will need to spend as much time as possible. It seems that if we fail to do so, we're going to be pretty tired all the time."

Granger was really beginning to make me tick – I started to remember exactly why had had such a strong aversion to her in school. But I would play the gentleman, andnot give her anymore cause to be mad. She was probably acting this way because I had called her a Mudblood yesterday. But I couldn't acknowledge it – because it would be improper.

I just continued to talk, the only betrayal of my growing frustration was the activity of my wringing hands under the table.

_I will stay calm. Indifference is the key. Stay calm. Stay calm._

"So," I said in a monotone, "this also might mean you moving in with me."

That quickly got her out of the indifferent role she was playing.

I'd thought about it rationally. If we were supposed to be well around the toher, then the easiet solution was moving in together. We'd never have to speak to each other but could still maintain perfect health. This was a perfect plan, if you laid the mutual hate aside.

"What?" Granger leaned forward with sharp eyes, arms uncrossed and an angry look on her face.

"Please," I snorted inelegantly, a little angry myself at her reaction. Before I could control my next words, my mouth went ahead and said them for me as I stared straight at Granger.

"I _don't_ want a Mudblood in my house anymore than I want pretty boy Potter there. But I refuse to be exhausted on a daily basis," I snapped.

_Shit._

In the ringing silence that followed, I could have happily slammed my head into the table_._ I was fuming at her for being able to get so easily under my skin and mad at myself for slipping. I'd just torn it for sure. Granger was a living wave – the twitch that was going on under her left eye and her arms clenching on the table and her lips pursing.

"Malfoy." She sneered as she said my name, as if it were the slimiest clump of dirt one could find under one's shoe. "If this is going to work, you will need to keep your face intact. If you would like to keep your face intact, you will refrain from referring to me as Mudblood."

"And if _this_ is going to _work_," I snarled right back, "you are going to look at me when I talk to you. I'm not going to waste my time on you if you're not willing to make this ordeal even a little bit more comfortable."

"Waste your time!" Granger whispered through clenched teeth. She was standing, her honey brown eyes ablaze and her hands curled into fists at her side.

"Make this work!" She yelled, her voice carrying over to other tables where people were sitting.

Her fury was a balm to my spirit, it really was. I would much prefer to be the one in control of my emotions, and if Granger wanted to cause a scene, I would be.

"Oh, do sit down Granger," I sneered. "Are you trying to attract everyone's attention? In fact, do go on and get it all off your chest, if you must."

She looked around her conspicuously, and very reluctantly lowered herself back into the chair. She flashed a tight smile at the customers who had been disturbed, and they turned back to their own tables. But before my very eyes, the angry lines on her face and the furious look in her eyes smoothed themselves out into nothingness. As I watched, she unclenched her hands and calmly laid them flat on the white table surface. It was as if she had never been angry, and a slight sneer settled unto her face.

"Look, Malfoy. Firstly, I ask that you refrain from calling me Mudblood." The smooth calm façade didn't crack but her soft voice was no less dangerous. "I did not hesitate to leave a lovely red hand mark on your face Third Year and I will certainly not hesitate now."

My eyes widened with this bold pronouncement.

How dare she bring up that immensely embarrassing subject? Now, it was my hands that were twitching unbearably to wrap around her neck. Instead, I kept quiet and the witch went further.

"Secondly, I do not wish to move in with you. So, to avoid that all costs, we are going to have to meet daily to…strengthen the nonexistent bond that the Ministry seems bent on creating between us. Thirdly, make no mistake of my immense dislike for you."

Her lips curled even more, illustrating the utmost truth behind her words.

"Everything about you is abhorrent to me. I'd rather drink poison than enter marriage with you. But, as you said, we have no choice. So, I will do my utmost to be civil because it seems that we are going to have to inhabit the same household after marriage. I'd rather have a polite but distant marriage than a hateful one."

Still sitting back in her chair, she regarded me with an appraising look; one that clearly thought I had been weighed, measured, and most definitely found wanting.

_Well, I'll be damned._

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

After my little speech, I thought his jaw would hit the table. The truth was that I was just a little bit shocked at myself for the immense dislike I had for the well-dressed young man sitting across from me. It was only my dislike, and the obvious dislike he harbored as well, that gave me the restrain to pull back my anger and put on that sneering face.

_And since when do I sneer?_

Malfoy truly brought out the worst in me.

After a few more minutes, his mouth snapped shut and his eyes narrowed to pinpricks. He inclined his head with mock politeness.

"I do believe this meeting has run its course."

"Then," I said matter-of-factly, "there is nothing further to discuss."

I stood up and brushed imaginary lint off of my dark blue jeans and my midnight black leather jacket. Without waiting for any sort of confirmation, I swept out of the shop with my back straight. When I was sure that he wasn't watching me, I broke out in a bit of a jog until I reached a place where I could safely Apparate away.

I breathed easier upon seeing the familiar sight of my apartment.

_This…this is home._

I breathed in deeply, vowing to never go to Malfoy Manor. This was what I had put all my creativity and thought and effort into creating solely for myself, after the chaos of the War. I wouldn't leave it.

Ever.


	5. The Wizard Deal

Author's Note - Updated June 24th, 2011. This chapter is dedicated to Zagreb girl, as it was before.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**Fifth Cycle**

**The Wizard Deal**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

Though the Manor proper was too saturated in magic to let a cell-phone function on the grounds, the joys of Plunko's International Immediate Letters were great.

"I know, I know, but she's so infuriating. Of course, it was a bad move…"

It was like communicating with a person in real-time – twin sheets of paper (or however many sheets really) were given from the same purchased batch to as many people as you wanted. You wrote the name or names of people who were going to read your note on parchment. Then you wrote your note in invisibility ink, and whatever you wrote appeared on everyone else's parchment! It was ingenious.

"Yeah, but- ok, so I started it but yesterday was a complete mistake and it just slipped out, alright?"

I watched as ink letters formed into a scathing response somewhere along the lines of 'you're digging your grave' and I got fed up trying to make excuses.

"Blaise! I KNOW!...this afternoon I did it on purpose. She was getting me mad and you _know_ how I hate to be ignored."

_Are you five years of age? Better question, are you an imbecile?_

"Oh, come on, you wanker. Besides, little Miss Granger has fangs - she does! – and I got a good taste of them first-hand."

_Well-deserved._

Clearly Blaise wasn't anymore on my side than my own mother was.

"Fine, but can you simply Floo over here since I know for a fact that you're done for the day? Three minutes tops."

_So I can listen to you blab some more about your date? Of course, I can. Three minutes tops._

Perhaps he'd put it rather crudely but yes, I needed an audience to vent my dismay and irritation. It was, after all, only seven o'clock in the evening and I'd had all day to mull over my actions. That had been an unmitigated disaster really. Honestly, Granger…I was dealing with a different witch and I had problems uncountable on my hands.

Not to speak about the documents that we had to peruse at our own leisure, in order.

_Oh, hell._

I still couldn't get over how collected she had been this afternoon, how she'd swept out of that little coffee shop as if she were the Muggle Queen of England, how I hadn't even realized that my jaw was hanging wide open until I shut it. Granger had definitely taken round 1.

A sudden green blaze lit up the ornate fireplace in Gravis study, and my best friend Blaise stepped right through. He would be a better fit for Granger – if the reaction from females was any indication, he was a good-looking bastard, and the charm he seemed to have discovered in the months after Voldemort's defeat _usually_ endeared him to most people. Merlin knows it took him a long time to figure out that smiling was a _good_ thing and not a _bad_ one. Once he did though, Blaise became every mother's dream. I guess it was a good thing that he was as tall as I were, and that his grey eyes were a very astonishing contrast to his dark skin, and that tiny silver hoop earring he wore in his left one definitely made him look rather devil-may-care. In fact, I'd once mused that if he had bothered to take the broomstick out of his arse during our time at Hogwarts he could have been quite popular with the female student body.

Of course, I didn't tell him this. He was still working around the concept of 'light humor'.

"Why isn't Nott back yet?"

"Oh, I'm doing fine, Draco," he said sweetly, "thanks for asking."

I laughed and clapped him on the black.

"How are you, Blaise?"

"Bite me."

"You'd like it too much," I shot back. This time he laughed. "The food is on its way here, before you ask, but I wasn't sure whether you'd want to have an actual sit-down meal in one of the smaller dining rooms or if you just wanted to bring it here."

Blaise whipped off his cloak and dropped like a stone into the nearest armchair.

"Is your mum home?" Honestly, he really was every momma's dream. If she had been present, he would have cheerfully asked to have a formal sit-down dinner so he could dote on her the way he doesn't on his own mother.

"Here it is then," I murmured. "You look delighted. What is it?"

"Pansy owled me back." I rolled my eyes and he took the hint. "Enough about that, let's talk about _this_."

Damn it, these documents.

Cranky appeared with heaps of food (everything Blaise liked to have) to spread over the rather large table that I had transfigured into a small desk. With the groan of a starving man, he fell upon the food but not before he asked for a spot of firewhisky.

"What?"

"What do you mean 'what'," he mimicked me, "I have no doubt we'll need more of it by the time we get through those Ministry scrolls. And to answer your original question, it's taking a bit longer than originally planned to wrap things up with Blozinski's Bottomless Cauldrons. He'll be back tomorrow afternoon."

"Then I can stop seeing your face and start seeing his?" I asked seriously. I bet if he hadn't been busy eating, he might have actually punched me in the shoulder for that. "Although you're not troll ugly so it's not a trial to see you all the time, I suppose."

"I beg your pardon, but who was the one who begged me to come over today? And yesterday? And the day before that? And the-"

"I get your point."

He laughed and returned to his food. I turned my attention to the very officious looking set of twin scrolls that the Ministry had kindly sent to me as requested – yet when they said 'documents' they meant a single roll of parchment that felt lighter than it should have. After all, if they were setting about to explain how the hell we'd all become tied to significant others, shouldn't it have been much heavier?

I hefted one roll and tossed the other to Blaise before breaking its seal.

**Master Draco Malfoy,**

**As previous correspondence indicates, you fall under the age group that the Marriage Law protects. Though we have made finding the love of your life easier, it's up to the couple themselves to make the marriage work.**

**It is important to bear in mind that the person picked is your _soul mate_ and that ancient magic is already at work in each pairing. Prior to the reception of the first letter, you may have bumped into your fiancée, Hermione Granger, in odd circumstances. **

**The Ministry is confident that the ancient magic will reinforce the bond that is supposed to exist in the couple's relationship. From the moment that the seals on the letter were broken, both parties were required to meet within the limitation of 72 hours. Whether you consciously made an effort to see them, you both would've been drawn to each other. We are still pleased to discover that it appears that you and Miss Granger have already met.**

**The 'binding' nature of the magic has created a most auspicious side-effect that we here at the Ministry are calling the '_fatiguée_'phenomenon. To ensure that the relationship grows in leaps and bounds, the bond requires a couple to spend as much time as possible in the first few weeks. Although the Ministry understands that many of our citizens lead busy and meaningful lives, we advise that both men and women make time to spend time together. The less time one spends with their betrothed, the more lethargic they'll become and the more prone to losing consciousness and being unable to work.**

**The 'binding' is not only a need for physical proximity. All couples will find that a degree of mental connection will grow. The Ministry is sure that by the third or fourth week of a pair's relationship, the mind-to-mind bond will allow for mental communication between witch and wizard. This also means that one will begin, on some level, to intuitively empathize with their betrothed. **

**As a result of the above and of the nature of the magic itself, emotional ties will be formed. For the wizard in particular, a new sense of innate jealousy and protectiveness will begin to grow. It will not be unusual to feel this emotion, whether the wizard actually likes his betrothed, and it will be important for the males to learn how to cope with these new overwhelming feelings. A specific division within St. Mungo's psychiatry ward has been trained to help the young men learn to deal with these new emotions, should they need to.**

**The magic also appears to navigate personality conflicts by changing the make-up of the body. The Ministry has turned these 'conflict-resolving events' as pheromone mix-ups. In an effort to create unity in a couple that doesn't necessarily get along well, the body emits something that attracts the **

**The Ministry has been unable to determine the danger that might cause to all parites involved, but is confident that most relationships will not reach such extremes in the first stage of acquaintance.**

**It is important to note the last and possibly most important effect of all. It is impossible to cheat on your betrothed once the Marriage Law is in effect. The combined effect of mental closeness, physical proximity, and a mind-to-mind bond will discourage even the hardiest men and women. Since there are always exceptions to the rule, an added preventive measure has been put in place. In the strictest sense of the world, cheating is physical involvement with another person. The measure has dire consequences – if you choose to dishonor your bond to your betrothed, your _betrothed_ suffers the consequences. The consequences will manifest themselves in illness as inconspicuous as a stubborn cough to something as serious as full-body boils. The more serious the method of cheating, the more serious the manifestation. **

**In fact, cheating may very well result in a temporary or permanent loss of sanity on both sides of the couple.**

**The Marriage Law does not require a paired couple to legally join together in nuptials, nor does it require nuptials to be held by a certain date. If a betrothed couple wishes to remain in relationship without the ties of marriage, that is entirely acceptable. The Marriage Law _does_ make it impossible to be intimate with someone else.**

**Please direct any questions and/or concerns to the Department of MLI.**

**_Sincerely, _**

**Thomas Carrington  
Department of Mysteries  
The Ministry of Magic**

By the time Blaise and I finished reading the letter in its entirety, we were entirely boggled out of our minds. My hand strayed to the decanter of fire-whisky as I gave Blaise a dim smile.

"You were right," I said when I poured out two shots of alcohol. "And I can't believe they fit all of this to a thin scroll."

Blaise downed his shot in a single go before indicating the first paragraph.

"Let's begin, shall we?"

**oo**

"Ok, well. This part obviously means that if we refuse to spend time with our fiancées, then we'll be too tired to do anything else." I nodded as Blaise tapped the third paragraph on the page with his wand. The black font glowed green before he moved on to tap a different section.

"Trust the Ministry to force you into spending time with your chosen," I muttered under my breath as I scratched the blonde hair on my head, still staring at the words in green. I dug my toes into the soft gray carpet. "It's basically a threat."

"Yes, it is," he replied grimly. He moved his wand back to the first paragraph in the packet and tapped that. The new paragraph began to glow as well. . "But look at this. I accidentally met Pansy in the supermarket two days before the letter came out…and I hadn't seen her in months since we lost contact after the War."

"Then according to the Ministry, that wasn't an accident. You two were drawn to each other." I snorted quite inelegantly. "Still, that doesn't make any damned sense."

Blaise leant back in the black armchair as well, where his jacket was thrown haphazardly over the back.

"I was actually investigating a Muggle ad for real estate in downtown London." He brushed his jaw and shook his head. "We're looking to start something on that side too you know, might as well make some money off the poor non-magical folk. I'd just found the storefront when I caught sight of the most beautiful black hair…"

He was about to become a poet again.

"…and Merlin it was this color that I didn't think I'd ever-" He cleared his throat in embarrassment and I just chuckled before gesturing for him to continue. "Anyway, I sort of just jogged up to the girl. Her back was still to me, so I tapped her on the shoulder and she turned. She recognized me first and said something like 'Blaise! Merlin, it's been so long!' But I wasn't listening. Pansy was just so…beautiful. Her skin was a pale white that I couldn't remember from our years at Hogwarts and her eyes were the color Italian artists call _bistre_ – a deep, dark brown that harkens unto black..."

_Oh sweet heavens. _

My eyes widened, as I looked at my best friend rambling on about Pansy's apparent beauty. I believed that he had forgotten where he was and once again had lost himself in his meeting with her again. This time I did not interrupt.

"I couldn't believe this beautiful creature new my name – for I never forget a face, and I had never seen hers. But there was something familiar about the way she smiled. I think I just stood there with my mouth open and my eyes glazed and my mind buzzing."

Blaise shook his with a sheepish look on his face.

"You must have looked like a complete idiot," I said with a small laugh.

"Too right you are, my friend," He grinned and continued. "Anyway, she introduced herself and laughed when my jaw hit the floor. After that, we had coffee somewhere before she had to run. We exchanged cell numbers and everything…That reminds me…"

I could see that I was beginning to lose Blaise again.

"Blaise! Pay attention."

"I wasn't daydreaming, damn it!" He gave me a disgruntled look and settled back into his chair. "Anyway, ours was by accident but we talked, though. You, on the other hand, just cursed Miss Granger and went on your merry way."

"I already told you!" I snapped back at him, tilting my head to the left and shooting daggers at my useless best friend. "It was my very first reaction to an old enemy I met in the rain."

"But you called her Mudblood again today. And that was with complete conviction."

With a delicately arched eyebrow, he managed to look both stern and amused as he grilled me with a practical manner.

"Of course, I did," I grumbled, still glaring at him. "But you know how I hate to be ignored. She was just staring off into space, as if I wasn't even there!"

"And though insulting her is an effective way to get her attention, it is _not_ an effective way of gaining her affection. If this marriage is going to begin to work, you are going to have to eliminate the word 'mudblood' from your vocabulary completely."

I just grunted noncommittally and unlaced my hands to run one through my hair repeatedly.

"As in you can never use that word again, Draco."

I really hadn't meant to use that word again. It was just hard to get rid of years of upbringing…which reminded me that I hadn't seen my mother yet day and I would have to find her tonight to see what her feelings about this were. Blaise was still staring at me expectantly.

"The word's gone from here on out. It's changing my mind frame which will be a little more difficult to do."

"But," Blaise said with his index finger raised, "it _can_ be done."

"Can we please just focus on this?" I indicated the scroll. I rolled on without waiting for an answer. "Look at this paragraph. This is the part that's going to be tricky. After we've spent a total of 24 hours together, it seems as if a bond should've begun to form."

"Yes, it seems that once the bonding has begun, we'll be able to feel their feelings on the most basic levels. What I'm not actually excited about is these new emotions that will run rampant. What the hell?"

"Hitting puberty once was quite enough," I said smartly. "Doing all of this with Hermione bloody Granger is just going to mean that I'm in for a hell of a ride. I don't _want_ to want to protect her."

Blaise rolled his eyes.

"It sounds as if overwhelming feelings are going to just…make immediate action necessary. I can only imagine that if Pansy was in danger and I _felt _that, I would suddenly be yanked to her side intrinsically. "

Didn't the Ministry see that this had disaster written all over it? And oh shit, what if-

"–Granger became scared or something when I was in the middle of using the loo?"

The idiot wizard burst out laughing: a long, loud chuckle of much amusement.

"You'd better hope she's hard to scare then; though the sight of you naked might send her into convulsions and bouts of violent vomiting." Blaise looked far too happy with that statement and I glared at him for a little while.

So…" I mused and dropped the shot glass clumsily on the table. I was getting a bit tipsy. "That means that before I spend 24 hours with Granger, I'm going to go to the club or sommat'. Because after that, the bond forms and no cheating are allowed for sure."

Again, a delicately arched eyebrow rose on Blaise's face. Now, his usual stern look was replaced with a dubious one. "That time would be better spent apologizing for insulting your fiancée and getting to know Miss Granger better."

I mirrored his look, except mine had the added element of a clear doubt of the sanity of his mind. Leaning back into the softness of the arm chair, I turned up my wrinkled nose and looked down at him.

"Malfoys **_never_** apologize. It's just not done."

"And you really expect this to work if you can't even admit when you're wrong?"

"I don't _expect _anything out of this relationship. I'm not trying to get close to her; it's not on my agenda to even live in the same house with her. As long as we can get through one conversation s day without an event, we should be fine."

He looked as if he didn't believe me for a second.

"So you're going to spend the rest of your life without love _or_ sex?"

…

…

Fuck, okay, I needed to revise my plans.

"See?" Blaise asked and poked me in the chest gently. "You guys are going to have to get along…otherwise, no release of frustration is going to be possible for _the rest of your lives._"

Blaise tapped the paragraph with the serious warning in it.

"You can't cheat. Her hurt and fear will probably drive you both insane. And if you try that with someone else's girl, some bloke is going to be hurt too. Why have him come after you too?"

"But…I really don't see how it's going to work."

"Don't worry mate! It'll work if you both try."

"I wish you would tell her the same thing. _Much_ easier said than done." I sighed and stood up as well, curling my toes into the warmth of the carpeted floor and stretching my arms straight up in the air above me. "Leaving?"

"Unlike some, I actually have a job," grinned Blaise as he pulled his things together and took a pinch of Floo powder from above the fireplace. "Tomorrow with Nott?"

"Count on it," I said glumly.

"Stiff upper lip, mate, it'll turn out alright," he said cheerfully before he stepped into the fire. "Good night!"

A good night? With my life in shambles?

_Not on your life._


	6. Midday Meetings

Author's Note - Updated July 3rd, 2011. This chapter is very short but dedicated to sasmith.

** OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**Fifth Cycle**

**Midday Meetings **

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"Granger," the blond young man said shortly to the wild-haired witch before him.

"Malfoy." An equally cool response. "Good day."

To any onlookers who were watching the couple from afar, they may have thought that it was a casual meeting between two friends. It would have seemed so at first glance by the way the young man gently led the young woman to a picnic blanket. It would have seemed so when the young woman sat down under the shade of a magnificent oak and the young man sat himself down right beside her. If the onlooker was even inclined to romance, the faint pink on the faces of both young people as they bumped elbows then resettled would have set off the imagination.

The relaxed atmosphere, perceived by the untrained eye, would have led the onlooker to the conclusion that the two were more than friends and that the smiles on both of their faces were genuine.

That particular onlooker would have been _dead_ wrong.

Hermione Jean Granger and Draconis Malfoy were on a date that they hadn't wanted to go on for a reason that was not of their own doing. You see, the 'couple' had just found out only two days ago that the Ministry had started a new venture – the arranging of marriages of single witches and wizards residing in wizading England. This couple had just found out that they were supposedly destined for each other; 'soul mates holding the key to the other's heart'.

That, in and of itself, may not have been so devastating. Certainly, if one tended to be a romantic, a most important problem had been solved. Everyone now knew who they were _supposed_ to be with for the rest of their lives. It would have been perfect if Miss Granger and Master Malfoy had not known and hated each other before.

If Hermione had been the smartest witch to have ever passed through Hogwarts' walls, the muggle-born genius of the House of Gryffindor, then Draco had been Slytherin's cruel pureblood crowned prince. The immense dislike they had borne for each other in school was only resurfaced after the shocking news had come to them both: they were to marry their sworn enemies.

Irreparable?

Not so, the optimist would say.

But back to the meeting taking place between the two-

The effort it was taking both parties to remain entirely civil and avoid any subjects that could be potentially dangerous was taxing. The blushing that the imaginary onlooker would have seen did not come from some sort of warm feeling for the other. It was from the pure pressure it took each to remain completely calm and collected.

"So-"

"So-"

By some accident, both Hermione and Draco started talking at the same time.

"You go first," Draco said quickly, staring at the sun rather than the witch. "It's only polite."

She stared up as well but asked anyway.

"What I meant to ask was what have you been up to since the end of the War?"

For a long moment, he pondered what to say. It was such a simple question, such a _short_ question. But it had been a lifetime – lifetimes and lifetimes, really – since the end. In his estimate, a day had lasted as long as a year and a month had spanned a decade. He did his best to answer her.

"The same as everyone else, I imagine. Doing what needs to be done to continue." When he looked over at her, her eyes were thoughtful and soft. He returned his gaze to the sun. "I suppose my completely brutish behavior has led you to believe that I am still the same. All I can say is that I am not. My mother and I have taken over all, including the running of businesses that my father had invested into: both Muggle and magical alike."

"Muggle? The great Malfoys are involved in muggle businesses?" Her voice was interested, curious, and not at all mocking. "What sort of businesses?"

"It doesn't matter whether it's magical or muggle where a great amount of money is to be made." Draco said frankly. "All sorts. We've recently become involved in the phone market and the broomstick market as well. The legal things, my mother and I kept. But all the illegal businesses had to be shut down."

"And how has that been going for you?"

Hermione's eyes were focused on his now.

"Rather well."

She stretched her legs out in front of her, half on the green blanket and half on the grass, and he moved over to give her as much room as possible. He thought that maybe this was the first time he'd ever had cause to sit next to a Muggle born without violence. She wondered what was going through his mind.

"We got off on a rather terrible start, didn't we?" Draco asked softly. "I don't imagine we could start over, could we?"

She closed her eyes and opened them to look straight up into a grey sky.

"That would require us to go back to the first day of First Year."

He gave her an unreadable look before he leaned back.

"How have you been spending these last few months?"

"Well, I decided to become a Healer," she said easily. "If I hadn't discovered magic, I would probably have become a doctor."

"The Muggle equivalent, correct?"

She nodded and something that looked like the start of a smile wavered briefly on her face.

"I should like to put my considerable talents to use."

"Ah, ever the bookworm, I see."

Hermione tensed immediately but imperceptibly, her body angling away from his. He immediately winced.

"I meant nothing by it," he said quickly. "Please, relax Granger. I meant neither harm nor insult, I swear it."

A tiny uncomfortable silence followed as Hermione examined Draco.

He was entirely serious, his face wiped of that small smile he'd had earlier and his eyes free of any malice.

"It's just that it's usually insults from you," she said slowly.

"We have to start anew, if this is going to even have a chance at working," he said easily. "And besides, you're not nearly as irritating as you were back then."

She knew he was trying to tease her nicely so she managed another fleeting smile.

"Not nearly?"

"Well, I haven't pulled out any of my hair or aged prematurely. So you're doing tons better."

She didn't notice how pleased Draco was when a small genuine laugh rang out. She couldn't imagine him pulling out bunches of hair over _anything_ she did, but she could at least admit that the image was amusing. When the laughter faded away, he was smiling at her quite nicely and she felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

Which made no sense, because in no parallel reality had Hermione ever envisioned today's meeting.

It sobered her up and locked her down. It was far too early for her to be getting comfortable around her ex-enemy.

Draco had been busy self-congratulating himself on finally melting the atmosphere. Blaise had talked him into a very agreeable mood before he'd trundled off to Copernicus Park, and he was mature enough to realize that _he_ was starting off at a disadvantage. He really had to banish that useless 'm' word from his vocabulary. No way in hell did he plan on living the rest of his life celibate!

He stopped his bout of loud mental backslapping when her laughter stopped and she stiffened again.

"So when are the Healer examinations?"

"Sometime near the end of summer." She opened her mouth, then shut it like she'd thought better

"No, please," he implored her, "tell me everything you want to say about it."

"Oh, well…I was only going to say that I still have five full weeks to study but that's really not a lot, if you ask me."

"Why?"

"I feel like I need to cover everything three times to be sure I really know it."

"And by everything you mean…" he prompted with a wary look on his face, "you mean-"

"-all my textbooks," Hermione said nonchalantly.

"_All_ of your textbooks!"

His eyebrows rose in a disbelief, in accordance with his voice, startling some birds out of the oak tree that Hermione was currently leaning on. The uncharacteristically disbelieving look on Draco's pale face almost made her begin laughing again.

"But those are a lot of textbooks? Yeah," She shrugged her shoulders in an offhand manner and looked serious as she continued. "Yes, but I don't want to be good at what I do. I want to be great. Besides, there's nothing like being thrice as prepared and twice as ready for something."

"I don't know why I'm surprised," Draco said grudgingly, "Granger, you are quite a piece of work."

This time she gave him a smug look.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

He laughed, a burst of quick and unexpected humor. For a minute, she found herself the slightest bit surprised that he felt comfortable enough with her to be able to laugh that way. But she didn't really think that was it. Draco Malfoy seemed to be more at ease with…himself.

"You were always the smartest in our class," he continued more slowly, "and I don't know why I was surprised to find you'd go for the best."

"Do you actually run the businesses that you mentioned?"

He shook his head.

"We invest and provide extra financial backing to particularly worthy ones. Mother has a head for numbers but I don't have much desire to sit in a stuffy office all day doing something I don't find interesting."

"But you _are_ interested in what they do?" she asked curiously. "What if you had ideas you wanted to incorporate?"

Draco shrugged.

"But it's not my company. It's not my vision and I don't want to stifle personal creativity or intrude on personal rights. They're free to do whatever they'd like as long as they don't lose us money. The fun is in figuring out what to invest in and what to pull out of before it folds."

"Interesting," Hermione said. "Very interesting."

"Do you invest with anyone else?"

"Apparently, I have an eye for these things," he said confidently, "and the rest of my mates sometimes invest with me. The shares are kept separate, of course, but they trust my judgement."

"They?"

"Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, and Crabbe & Goyle, you remember, I believe."

She had to fight to keep her face as blank as she could make it. He couldn't help but wonder what was behind that studied facade. It must have been that curiosity that made him ask what he asked next.

"You and…those two…still good friends?"

If she'd been inclined to embarrass him, she would have pretended not to have the slightest clue to whom he might be referring.

"The best."

"Of course."

"Of course."

The uncomfortable silence was back, almost as quickly as it had left.

Hermione let her eyes wander across the park, watching the people out for the unusually beautiful day. No one she knew and no one who might be close enough to recognize either her or the young man she sat next to. No one to recognize that this might be the forced product of the Marriage Law, or to discern the discomfort that suddenly lay over them as thickly as the blanket they sat on.

Draco watched her watch nature, and wondered what he'd wanted to accomplish by asking her that question. Of course Weaselbee and Scarhead (he had made peace with the fact that he might never be able to refer to them using their proper names) were still her best mates.

Of course.

What he wanted was a good cold shower. After seeing the rest of _his _best mates, especially since Nott was back in town and Crabbe & Goyle were finally back from wherever the hell they'd traversed off to in Russia. What he wanted was to not feel so damned stressed about something outside of his control, and to quit trying to create a mood for a witch who was clearly reluctant to any sort of his advances.

Even if she was well within her rights to feel that way.

The silence stretched onwards and onwards, until no conversational words could bridge the gaping discomfort in the air.

He held out his hand to help Hermione up. She took it and lightly pulled herself to her feet. He packed the picnic basket as she watched.

"Thank you for meeting me here," Draco finally said with an air of forced politeness. "Your choice now.

"Ice-cream parlor around the same time?" she asked. "Does that work for you?"

He nodded.

"That's fine. Will you need any assistance getting home?"

"Not at all." Hermione once again nodded politely, before a final farewell.

"Good day, Malfoy."

"Good day, Granger."


	7. A Talk Between Friends

Author's Note - Updated July 15th, 2011. This chapter is very short because I ended up cutting so much of the old stuff. Remember to check out my profile for more information about my Dean and Luna story, and my Ron & Padma story (both of which are UP and RUNNING). Also, follow me on twitter (ChiChiOhh) and check out my blog if you can. Hah, I couldn't help the self-advertising.

** OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**Seventh Cycle**

**A Talk Between Friends **

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"Neville?"

After that second meeting with Draco, I got home a little tired with the beginnings of a minor headache. When I dropped unto my favorite chair, I pulled the phone towards me and brought out my folder of PIIL notes. I hadn't had any chance to speak to Dean or Luna at the hospital, since they had had to leave before I'd woken up. Neither had I been able to get a hold of Gin or Neville. I wanted to talk to him. It took no more than five minutes before dark blue ink appeared.

_'Mione? That you?_

Neville Longbottom had changed so much in the past year; maturing from a quiet boy to a very serious young man. He had always been a bit serious but now he hardly spoke if he didn't know you very well. Maybe it stemmed from a deep brooding side that had come about as a result of almost losing his grandmother to the same fate that he had lost his parents to. The Neville Longbottom that Harry, Ron, and I now knew was much different than the timid, mousy haired boy that had lost his frog on the Hogwarts Express years ago.

"The one and only!" I answered happily. "What have I told you about organizing your Plunko's notes? And when are you coming back? Where are you? Are you still out of the country?"

His response was immediate.

_Which order would you prefer me to answer that in?_

I could imagine him smiling while writing that clever little come-back.

"Smart-mouth. Exactly as asked, please."

_You've told me so much about organizing that I've decided to get on it. __But I'll be back by tomorrow morning. And you know Unspeakables can't say a thing about anything so I'll ignore that question. How are you, 'Mione? I haven't heard from you in almost a week!_

A week ago, I might have been able to answer this question quite truthfully with cheer. Today, after a meeting with a young man that didn't go terribly but hadn't been amazing either I couldn't have said exactly how I was doing. Nor could I say what I was doing. Imagine that, the 'brilliant' Hermione Granger left at loose-ends in a situation that she couldn't think her way out of. I was amazed at how tightly the Law had locked us in. I was amazed that there seemed to be no public backlash. So I side-stepped his question and redirected his attention.

"Dean is back in town and I'll be having a luncheon on Sunday after I come back church, so we can meet and chat. Are you coming?"

_Wouldn't miss it for anything. Everyone in?_

As far as I knew, everyone was in. I'd told Gin about it yesterday after visiting with my parents and she'd said Luna couldn't because she and Dean were supposed to be figuring out their new...relationship. He would end up forgetting the luncheon if he didn't have a reminder. Still, since all the boys had a rather large apartment in Muggle London I didn't think forgetting would be a problem. Besides, these notes were for when we were on the move or out of the country.

"Except Lune and Dean. Don't forget!"

_I'll note you tomorrow when I get back but send an owl Saturday or call on the house line for sure._

I hesitated for a moment.

"Neville, did you know anything about the Law? Before this I mean?"

_I'm sorry I couldn't tell any of you, really really am, but I knew the Weasleys would hear about it before it came out. And-_

"There's nothing you can say to give me a clue," I finished quickly, "I suspected that would be the case. Do you already know who your...your person is?"

Hesitation.

_They told the Unspeakables a little earlier but sent out letters the same time._

"Who is she?"

_Cho Chang._

I sat back and blinked. Really really hard. It would be completely useless to take the two seconds to rewrite the name but I wanted to do so, just because I was so surprised! And knowing Nev, he wouldn't have said a damned thing to anyone until he returned and someone came straight out and asked him.

"Told anyone else?"

_You're the only one that asked._

Point proven. I sighed to myself. Cho Chang had joined the larger Dumbledore's Army during the War but I hadn't kept in touch with her in the last few months. I had no idea what Neville had found out about her. And since he hadn't volunteered the information on his own, I was beginning to worry...

"Did she know?"

_...she does now._

And wasn't that simply the most encouraging thing I'd heard all day? Please.

"I-"

_I know you. You're going to try to fight it but...there's not even enough breathing space in the weaving of the magic to- to break it. There are too many departments involved, too much invested. There's not much we can do about it, believe me._

He was heading me off too. Fine.

"Fine. Don't forget about Sunday" I wrote quickly.

_I'm sorry._

"It's not your fault," I replied easily, "so don't apologize. Besides, we're still excited to see you. Reactivate your phone and call me when you get home?"

_Sure. Talk to you soon._

With the final link in my group in the 'know', I eyed my phone and thought about calling my parents again. The second meeting...gosh, the second meeting. It's not that it had been terrible. It _hadn't_ been terrible. There had been no name-calling, back-stabbing, bad-mouth, tongue-twisting...or any real chaos or malarkey. There _had _been a whole lot of truthfulness and a level conversation that was much more frank than I had been expecting. I hadn't expected him to come to this meeting in good faith, making something of an effort to be better at this 'don't insult the Mugggle' deal that I had thrown down as an ultimatum. I hadn't expected him to tell me that much about what he'd been doing with his time since the end of the War, nor had I expected to find myself the slightest bit interested in it.

It was a surprise.

But it did not erase the memory of the dreaded 'M' word leaving his lips. Whatever had happened at the park a few hours might have been genuine, but so was _that. _I couldn't trust this.

"What I need to do," I muttered, "is forget about it. Completely."

Because there was no use worrying about it when there was so much _else_ to worry over. My research in the last three days had overturned absolutely nothing. Nothing. No loop holes, no ancient magic breakers, not even much information on what and how the government had done what they had done. Neville was completely correct. The Ministry was keeping a tight hold on their information. That left everyone else-

_-screwed._

We were all at the mercy of this new law. Which meant we were all in deep shite, pardon my French.

**oo**

It took me the better half of the next day to shop around for what I would be cooking on Sunday. The luncheons at my house had become something of a regular jaunt these days, happening at least two or three times or month with everyone coming over if they were in town. Since Ginny wanted to sleepover - 'to get away from that idiot brother of mine' - I was going to need extra supplies. This was a very well-kept secret: Ginny Weasley was also a big eater. She'd never put Ron to shame, by any stretch of the imagination, but she could polish off an entire medium-sized pizza given a television and an hour!

As expected, she made a beeline for the kitchen as soon as she entered the house that evenin,g before addressing any of the matters at hand.

"So," Ginny asked as she munched delicately on a wheat cracker with strawberry jam spread. "The first question in order is how is Malfoy the Second doing?"

"Well, I'd imagine," I said slowly. "Today wasn't a complete disaster and that's a success in my book."

She arched an eyebrow and reached for another cracker.

"And by that you mean...-?"

"And by that I mean, he didn't call me Mudblood."

She immediately stopped chewing and started staring.

"He called you _what_?"

"Yesterday, he did," I explained quickly.

She looked outraged, hungry and outraged. "And how the hell did you not tell me about this?"

I pulled her into the living room, snatching the box of crackers and the jar of jam as I went. When we dropped into the chair, I finally continued.

"It came up in conversation."

"It came up-"

"He tried to say something about the fastest way to deepen the bond was for to move in." I laughed when she made a face that looked like she'd swallowed raw spoiling fish. "That was quite the reaction, and it was exactly what I said. He didn't like that. So out came the 'M' word and in came chaos."

"You're kidding." I shook my head. She swallowed two more crackers with jam before she opened her mouth again. "I hope you told him exactly what to do with himself."

"I did. But then today's meeting was...civil."

She arched her eyebrows.

"Isn't that a good thing?"

I shook my head again.

"It was completely and utterly civil.

"I mean, he told me about how he's been enjoying handling the businesses his family invest in and how busy he is with that. I don't think he was being fake but I don't think this new niceness is motivated by a genuine desire to _be_ nice, if you understand my meaning. And that makes me incredibly suspicious."

"You're basically waiting for another row, aren't you." She nodded understandingly. "That little ferret could be up to anything. I don't trust this either."

"I just can't seem to figure out his motivation for this. And I did my research - it's just like you all said at first. I can't find out anything about what spells were woven together, I don't even know the base spell, I have nothing to go on which makes it really difficult for me to find a way to fix _anything_. I can't solve a problem without the sum parts of the equation!"

She arched an eyebrow but said nothing once more.

"I don't know what to do."

"Then maybe there isn't a solution, 'Mione." She stood and walked to my coffee table, touched a scroll in the neat pile of letters. "And if there is, maybe it's in the documents they sent to the witches. What do you say?"

"Let's."

**Hermione Granger,**

**As previous correspondence indicates, you fall under the age group that the Marriage Law protects. Though we have made finding the love of your life easier, it's up to the couple themselves to make the marriage work.**

**It is important to bear in mind that the person picked is your _soul mate_ and that ancient magic is already at work in each pairing. Prior to the reception of the first letter, you may have bumped into your fiancée, Draco Malfoy, in odd circumstances.**

**The Ministry is confident that the ancient magic will reinforce the bond that is supposed to exist in the couple's relationship. From the moment that the seals on the letter were broken, both parties were required to meet within the limitation of 72 hours. Whether you consciously made an effort to see them, you both would've been drawn to each other. We are still pleased to discover that it appears that you and Miss Granger have already met.**

**The 'binding' nature of the magic has created a most auspicious side-effect that we here at the Ministry are calling the '_fatiguée'_ phenomenon. To ensure that the relationship grows in leaps and bounds, the bond requires a couple to spend as much time as possible in the first few weeks. Although the Ministry understands that many of our citizens lead busy and meaningful lives, we advise that both men and women make time to spend time together. The less time one spends with their betrothed, the more lethargic they'll become and the more prone to losing consciousness and being unable to work.**

**The 'binding' is not only a need for physical proximity. All couples will find that a degree of mental connection will grow. The Ministry is sure that by the third or fourth week of a pair's relationship, the mind-to-mind bond will allow for mental communication between witch and wizard. This also means that one will begin, on some level, to intuitively empathize with their betrothed _immediately_. ****As a result of the above and of the nature of the magic itself, emotional ties will be formed. Your betrothed will experience elevated levels of jealousy and protectiveness towards you. This will happen regardless of whether your feelings are superficial or deep at this point, and the Ministry has already instructed wizards to seek counsel at St. Mungo's should they need to. **** We find that constant communication will be important to maintaining these ties and maintaining peace.**

**The magic also appears to navigate personality conflicts by changing the make-up of the body. The Ministry has turned these 'conflict-resolving events' as pheromone mix-ups. In an effort to create unity in a couple that doesn't necessarily get along well, the body emits something that attracts the opposite sex. This appears to take place at higher rate among witches than it does among wizards. As such, the female set of documents will take the time to explain what this might involve. Once pheremones are emitted, members of the opposite sex (Muggle or not) will be affected within a distance of a 50 meters. The affected members will be attracted to the witch in question, involuntarily. The safety mechanism of the mental bond should allow you to call for your betrothed if you have not obtained an Apparition license. Unfortunately, if a witch does Apparate, the pheremone effect will only reoccur at the new location. The key to breaking the aggressive attentions of members affected is your wizard. Any possessive action from him (something as simple as a kiss, for example) will dissipate the effects.**

**The Ministry has been unable to determine the danger that might cause to all parties involved, but is confident that most relationships will not reach such extremes in the first stage of acquaintance.**

**It is important to note the last and possibly most important effect of all. It is impossible to cheat on your betrothed once the Marriage Law is in effect. The combined effect of mental closeness, physical proximity, and a mind-to-mind bond will discourage even the hardiest men and women. Since there are always exceptions to the rule, an added preventive measure has been put in place. In the strictest sense of the world, cheating is physical involvement with another person. The measure has dire consequences – if you choose to dishonor your bond to your betrothed, your _betrothed _suffers the consequences. The consequences will manifest themselves in illness as inconspicuous as a stubborn cough to something as serious as full-body boils. The more serious the method of cheating, the more serious the manifestation.**

**In fact, cheating may very well result in a temporary or permanent loss of sanity on both sides of the couple.**

**The Marriage Law does not require a paired couple to legally join together in nuptials, nor does it require nuptials to be held by a certain date. If a betrothed couple wishes to remain in relationship without the ties of marriage, that is entirely acceptable. The Marriage Law _does_ make it impossible to be intimate with someone else.**

**Please direct any questions and/or concerns to the Department of MLI. Please document any cases of pheremone-act and send to the Department of Mysteries.**

**_Sincerely,_**

**Thomas Carrington  
Department of Mysteries  
The Ministry of Magic**

We looked at each other and the words we were both thinking came out of my mouth.

"Oh dear."

"Oh dear is right," Ginny said quietly.

"How about we work our way through from the first paragraph." I sat Indian style and Ginny soon took up the same position next to me on the floor. "It's about 8:30 now, so we can work on this until whenever you're ready to go."

Ginny pulled the sheet toward her.

"Ok, so basically the first paragraph just says that we're soul mates. According to them, Draco Malfoy has the greatest potential to make you the happiest."

I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, I've been terribly happy with him calling me names for the last 6 years. Awful amount of fun, really."

"I do agree that he's a git – I've failed to come across a snider person in all existence. But the Ministry put Harry and me together – that's got to count for something." Ginny leaned forward and put her elbows on her out turned knees, thoughtfully taking a bite out of her shiny red apple.

"It still doesn't erase all those years. I didn't begin anything – he started the insults first."

It's not that I was such an unforgiving person, it was that Draco Malfoy had dug his grave quite deep all these years. I wouldn't help him get on even footing. What were the odds that this would happen? Never, even in my wildest dreams, had I suspected that this would happen. The hatred, the arranged marriage and this fate. I was bound to this man – there was really no way out for me. Fate was truly cruel.

"True," she agreed. "He's an ass to the tenth degree. But he's the ass that's going to be your husband. Allowances don't have to be made immediately but they have to be made eventually."

I sighed.

"It's unbelievable. How could someone who caused me so much pain be the one who is supposed to be the key to my happiness?"

"I don't know," Ginny said with a strange smile. "It's really up to you two to make it work. And the past isn't really in the past. You _have _to talk about it to get over it."

"It's like I said, I don't see us ever getting that close."

"You will."

"We won't."

"You will," she said firmly. "If anything, think about the fact that you're older than him. You're his elder! He has to listen!"

I laughed half-heartedly then pointed at the parchment.

"Third paragraph...since we've both already met with our betrothed…I think that the parts we need to pay attention to cover all of the following points." I began to count off all the points on my left hand. "Firstly, there will be no cheating. Secondly, the _fatiguée – act_. Thirdly, auras and personalities. Fourthly, bonds. And finally, sex and the marriage itself." Ginny looked a bit surprised that I had said the word sex so freely, but I didn't really mind since I was using it in an entirely objective way."

"Bonds are supposed to be almost immediately," she said, "and that's entirely understandable – emotional are the most important at first. And this ties in with the cheating clause as well as the exhaustion act."

"'_I **don't**want a Mudblood in my house anymore than I want pretty boy Potter there. But I refuse to be exhausted on a daily basis.'_," I couldn't help quoting Malfoy's first offense after the receipt of this letter. "Honestly."

"Well, I know you'd much rather meet with him than live with him any earlier than you have to…wait, do you have live with him?"

Gin, the voice of apparent reason.

"According to the exhaustion act," I said simply, "I simply have to spend of time with him now so I won't have to spend too much time with him later. Honestly, the way they're putting this doesn't even sound like couples necessarily need to be talking. They only need to _be_ around each other and the bond is strengthened. Which is probably why he suggested moving in."

"Probably."

"And he can't cheat," I reasoned slowly, "and of course, neither would I." My morals were too good for me to do something like that to anyone, even ferret boy. "But apparently the bonds also relate to our personalities. By the time we've spent enough time together, we'll be able to sense each other's feelings."

Ginny resumed snacking and let me ramble on.

"So if yesterday's meeting took about an hour and the one today took three hours, then it is entirely possible that by the fifth meeting I'll be able to sense the most basic of Malfoy's emotion."

Which wasn't really something I could get excited about, and it must have shown on my face since the redhead laughed.

"Please, he's the lucky bastard who gets to marry the smartest witch of his age. Honestly, all he _should_ feel is happy and content. And if not, you are an absolutely gorgeous witch and he'll be lucky to have someone who's _way_ better looking than himself. I _know_ he'll get jealous."

I smiled.

"You never cease to amaze me, Ginerva Weasley. How do you always manage to make me feel better?"

She winked back at me as she stretched her legs out in front of her and wriggled her manicured toes comfortably.

"It's a Weasley thing, I think." She indicated the parchment with a leisurely tap of her finger. "So it seems as if he'll be over protective of you, even if he doesn't feel anything for you now. He'll _want_ to protect you because his 'I-wear-the-pants-in-this-relationship'...feeling...is going to kick in."

That didn't exactly say anything about me making him jealous, just the bond. Not that I wanted him to be jealous...right?

"Alrighty." Ginny's apple was almost gone as she looked over the documents again. "Now we get to the good part - sex and marriage. Since you two are going to be married anyway, I'm not sure it matters when you have it. Traditionally, we wait until our wedding nights, right?"

"Why do you think we'll be married?"

Gin snorted.

"You don't have an untraditional bone in your body."

"I beg your pardon! I could forego the institution of marriage!"

"On a whim?" Gin paused to nibble another cracker. "Maybe after a divorce, yes, but I think that you _want_ marriage. Even if the groom is unsuitable."

"But-"

"Which brings me to sex!" She marched all over my would-be comment as a look nothing short of sly came over her face. "Seems like a lot of make-up snogging sessions are going to be in order for you and the Slytherin prince!"

"Ginny!" I was outraged and just a little bit mortified. "Just...no. Not even if I maybe liked him, which I don't. There are only three boys in my life who I've ever snogged. I rather not spoil those fond memories."

"Besides Ron?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Krum and McLaggen."

"McLaggen?" Her eyes bulged. "Before he fought, you mean. And wasn't he sort of like your stalker at that point?"

"Part of why he was stalking, I suppose."

"Tooting your own horn, eh?" Gin managed to look like she was leering and frowning at the same time. "Weird. I don't even want to think about it. Well...okay, were they any good?"

I thought about it.

"It was nice."

"Which is code for 'no, they weren't'."

Let no one say Gin didn't have a way with words.

"Anyway, those snogging sessions were good because they were with boys I actually _liked_. I didn't have violent histories with them, or physical altercations with them or anything."

"True. But I think you two can make it work. You _have_ to. Otherwise, you'll be stuck with you soul mate but no happiness. Really, there isn't anyway out of this."

"I know, but how do I go about starting…anything?"

"Well," Ginny polished off another strawberry jam smothered cracker. "Just take it easy with the dates and such. By the time, you've reached your fourth or fifth date, you'll be able to generally sense each other's feelings. So, he can't lie too much when you start talking over the past."

"And how am I supposed to do that?" I glared at her.

"No idea!" She raised her hands in a lay-off manner. "Don't glare at me like that! I can't make it totally easy for you!"

I just continued to glare.

"Fine," my redhead friend continued, "make him jealous. Flirting seems to be fine by Ministry standards. So flirt with someone older than the age limit thing. I mean, flirt with anything in pants whenever you two are out in public if you can."

"Anything...in...pants?"

"Yes." I didn't see how that would get me anywhere but...I suppose she knew best? "We'll see about that. I think this is going to be a really long week since I have yet to catch up on the reading I still have to do for Healer Examinations."

"When are they again?"

"Well," I replied lifting my index finger to tap it against my chin. "You go back to Hogwarts in the first week of September for your last year…it's a week before that."

"Enough about school, you have a full six weeks left to study so-" she waggled her eyes, "-we'll go clubbing Saturday night! How about it? Since this week is going to be so terrible for you, let's spice it up. We'll be able to get in no problem. We look older."

"Than 21?" I had a feeling she either wanted to magic her way into a Muggle club. "Where?"

"Old enough," Ginny said firmly. "Besides, I have connections."

"Connections?" I leaned back and stretched languorously, getting out all the stiffness in my lower back and my shoulders. "Never mind. I don't think I want to know."

She huffed.

"So it's a deal?"

It was. But what exactly was I getting myself into?


	8. Mood Swings & Dark Alleyways

Author's Note - Updated July 26th, 2011. This chapter is quite chaotic because I ended up cutting so much of the old stuff. There is also a lot of switching between point-of-views, sorry! Remember to check out my profile for more information about my Dean and Luna story, and my Ron & Padma story (both of which are UP and RUNNING). Also, follow me on twitter (ChiChiOhh) and check out my blog if you can. Hah, I couldn't help the self-advertising. Also, it is important to note that none of my MAM stories are DH compliant. At all.

** OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**Eighth Cycle**

**Mood Swings, Dark Alleys**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

After that meeting with Malfoy, things got a whole lot better on the surface. Actually, our second meeting took place in the park as well, since the next day was sunny. It was at the same time too – with the afternoon a crisp clear light in which everything seemed more real. We were always civil to each other and the moods really stayed calm and relaxed for the most part those next four meetings, since we stayed away from any potentially controversial topics. I now knew that Malfoy preferred cakes to sweets, made an exception for lemon drops when he discovered them through Dumbledore his Second Year, really likes Quidditch and would consider going professional, hated asparagus because they 'felt strange' in his mouth, was allergic to red beans, had won Witch Weekly's 'Best Smile' contest two months ago, and always carried at least fifty galleons with him. Others might see that as a wealth of information. I didn't. We'd spent fifteen hours with each other and that measly sum of information was about as personal as it had gotten.

I knew why.

Even with the sometimes pleasant conversation, there was always something in the back of my head that told me that I needed to be careful. He was always too much the gentleman around me. I could never really forget what a total prat he'd been in school. I couldn't forget the past. Unfortunately for me, the past couldn't forget me as well. It was galloping up behind me. After a particularly mellow mood in the first half of our fifth meeting that Friday, disaster struck in the form of a combination of Malfoy's sudden mood swing and my mouth.

He'd been rather quiet for the last half hour, and because I greatly dislike silence, I'd sought a way to break it. We had been sitting on the picnic blanket with legs outstretched as usual, a very nice blanket that was a deep blue one with silver swirls on it (mine, because I seriously doubt that Draco would own anything like that), when I asked a question that hadn't occurred to me in the fifteen hours total we'd spent pretending to really like each other.

"Malfoy?" He made a sound and turned toward me. "Does your mother know who you're … betrothed to?"

His expressionless face moved to surprise, to disbelief, and then settled on something halfway between anger and condescension. I instinctively knew something very wrong was happening.

"No, of course not." He arched an eyebrow. "Because my mother lives in the same house that I do and knew about the Ministry's stupid decision before I did, _of course_ she doesn't know. What do you think?"

I drew back.

_Excuse me?_

"No need to get nasty, ferret boy."

And...there went my mouth and of course his temper. I immediately realized that it wouldn't be the right way to end the argument. Malfoy sat up, pushing himself up off of his arms to stare at me angrily. His eyes had gone completely grey now, no blue hint was found in that narrowed gaze. Well, I was already mad and it had already slipped out so there was no taking it back now.

"What did you say? Simpleton that you are, you dare call me _that_?"

The fact that he'd been so ready to jump down my throat was actually pushing me out of a place of regret and into a place where I was ready to get into it with him.

"You heard me, didn't you? Or do I have to explain in explicit detail how Professor Moody turned you into the amazing bouncing white ferret during fourth year? Or maybe you'll remember it if you hit the ceiling-"

"Hermione bloody Granger, the know it all!" His voice was dangerously soft and his eyes were still narrowed. "Lauded as the smartest witch of her age. _Such_ a brilliant person, so good that she's completely above everyone and everything."

"It's got me this far hasn't it?" I shot back smartly. "And why are you so defensive?"

"Defensive?" he scoffed. "Not at all the point here. That's a rather personal question coming from someone who makes it her business to tell me nothing about her life and herself. You asked a question whose answer would be crystal clear to _anyone_ with half a brain. But here's where we reach the root of our problem. Why should I answer a question you ask? Why should I continue to act the gentleman, to accommodate this barmy desire for privacy you've got going?"

His eyes glittered. His body was still.

"Not bloody likely. I've gone out of my way to be as nice as I can to you, to bite my tongue when I'd much rather lash you with it, to ignore the little quips you send my way. But why should I? You are an absolute _bitch _and I don't think I will any longer."

I was speechless. I literally was without speech. It didn't matter though, since he never gave me a chance at a retort. My eyes widened as Malfoy gracefully rose to his feet, turning on his heels and striding to the gate leading to the main street. The last thing I saw was his straight back, as he disappeared through the gates and into the yellow light of afternoon.

_Oh my God._

"Oh my God," I said aloud.

_What the hell just happened?_

**oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

I have no idea why I blew up like that. Ok, maybe I do. Firstly, the silence had been killing me. Granger was the royal do-gooder who was the champion of the misunderstood and down-trodden, yet she refused to include _me_ in this grandiose scope of hers. I hadn't paid any mind to it last week when I'd been trying to get us started on a good foot and at least worm my way into her good graces before she figured out that I wasn't doing it because I liked her. But this week, it had become the giant make-believe dragon in the room. She was silent, when Merlin knows the formerly buck-toothed Bookworm hadn't been able to shut up in school. She rarely asked questions. She listened. She wasn't interested.

I am Draco Malfoy. I am usually adored.

Her lack of interest and her patent but unsaid distrust was starting to get on my gotdamned nerves.

Secondly, Granger had asked a dumb question. Yes, I had talked with my mother about two days before today, and that meeting had been unsettling.

_Flashback Begins_

"I find it disconcerting that you don't appear to have any opinions." The fireplace was aflame, the added light to the room's glow making things flicker and dance in my sight. Mother really liked this sitting room - I'd discovered around age six that it was her favorite place in the entire house. She came here whenever she worried, whenever she wondered, whenever she exulted. It was one of the few rooms in this Wing that hadn't undergone some kind of change after Father's death. I stood against the window-frame, stared at her hard. "Not a single one, not a single thought voiced. I find myself utterly perplexed."

The look on her face was unreadable.

"Well, I would not have expected your future wife to be Muggle born."

I waited for more. She was not forthcoming.

"That's it? Honestly?

"But if she's the one who can make you happy..." she softened. "You've done well these last few months but I truly just want you to be happy."

"I am happy," I said impatiently, "but more importantly, you're alright with it?"

"Sometimes, you are - when you're with your friends, or when you're haggling with me over which investments to increase and abandon." The grey-blue eyes that I had gotten from her, stared at me very seriously, as Mum leaned forward and took one of my pale hands in both of hers. She looked at me with something that crossed between pity and gentle reproach. "Never mind that, we have no choice in the matter."

What was the pity for? What was she pitying me for?

"Mother-"

She squeezed my hands and stood.

"While I confess to be in line with the Ministry's wishes, this Granger girl _must_ have lessons. If she's to become a Malfoy, she'll have to look and learn to act the part."

I let her divert the conversation.

"I don't even like her."

A small smile appeared on her face.

"Yet."

_Try, never_, I thought glumly.

"Give it a chance, darling. It will work itself out." My mother stood and left me on the couch, sweeping out of the room gracefully and quietly while I just turned to stare out the window.

_Flashback Ends_

Now, I stood like a fool on the corner of Copernicus Park with a slightly red face and an angry demeanor. I was hard put to decide what exactly was killing me the most about this fact that I'd wasted an obscene amount of effort trying to get in the good books of someone who barely tolerated me or that I _had_ to get in the good books of someone who barely tolerated me because otherwise I'd be celibate for the rest of my long life? Dear Merlin, she should be groveling at my feet. Groveling!

I stood there, looking to my left and right. I knew that I had probably overreacted but she had also called me ferret boy.

_Stupid Professor Moody and bloody idiotic Pothead. How dare she bring that up? And why, for heaven's sake, would she ask such a stupid question?_

After debating what to do from there, I settled for apparating back to the Manor and having a good drink then calling Blaise up. At least it was Friday, and Friday tolled both the end of this hellish week and a boisterous weekend with the boys.

I'd have more than enough time to rid myself of the bitter after-taste that was darling Hermione Granger.

**oo**

...Okay, I'd _intended_ to forget about her. The truth was that that hadn't happened very well.

"Drake, calm down."

Now, I was over at Blaise's house, venting about Granger. Blaise sat forward on his chair and watched as I strode about in a ever-widening circle, gesticulating and yelling and fighting but failing to keep my anger in check.

"I don't know what it is about her! Smarty-pants Granger and her stupid questions." I pretended to be Granger, mimicking her high pitched voice as I made fun of her. "_Does your mother know who you're … betrothed to?_"

"Did you know sound common when you're angry?" Blaise got up and tried to push me into another chair across from him. It didn't work since I was moving so much. "She asked a question, mate. She wouldn't have asked if she didn't want to know."

He gave up trying to put me in a chair and just returned to his seat. Then he peered at me.

"Why are you really mad? As in, what's the true reason?"

The question stopped me in my tracks as I turned to stare at him. It was quite a good question really but it was hard to answer because this annoying buzzing that was going on in my head. I ignored it and returned to the question at hand. I was mad at Granger. I was irritated by Granger.

"No, you're not."

"I haven't said a word," I said sullenly.

"Your face says it all. And I think you're overreacting if you are truly angry with her."

"I'm not!"

"She asked a question." Blaise's logic came out. "Why would you be furious about that?"

"It…it…" I stuttered trying to put into words exactly why I was mad. I ran my pale hands through my silver hair in an attempt to let out some of the antsy frustration I felt. "Alright…I see you're point."

"So, why are you mad?"

"I don't know."

"You called her a bitch, Drake." A wry smile formed on Blaise's face at that last question. "I don't know what to say to you. Because she is going to kick you're butt the next time she sees you."

_Devil take it._

"I know, I know."

I trudged over to the armchair he had been trying to get me to sit in for the last two minutes. I plopped myself down without further ado.

"I really need to stop."

_I really have to quit starting these things._

Blaise agreed. "You also need to apologize."

When hell froze over. I looked over at Blaise's calm demeanor as he said this, his fingers aligned in a sort of finger pyramid and his single earring glinting from the bright light above.

"Oh please," he said while wrinkling his brow at me. "You can get off your high-horse for five minutes to apologize to Miss Granger."

I doubted it and sighed deeply.

"We'll see."

I didn't really know why I reacted the way I did. Her question was dumb, yes, but I never lost my cool like that before over a _question_. It was her curious indifference. Seriously, Granger managed to get under my skin like no other girl had ever done before. I had to work on being cool, calm and collected around her. I also had to stop calling her names, though 'mudblood' was the most effective one I knew. Again, my hands ran through my once perfectly gelled hair again.

I felt Blaise pat me on the back comfortingly. "Let's go clubbing this weekend, not anything serious, just a little drinking and dancing. That way, no harm done to the bonds with our girls."

"You know what?" I looked up and grinned at my friend. "That's the best idea I've heard all night."

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

_He totally flew off the handle!_

I huffed to myself and quickly packed up the blanket into a brown woven basket I had brought with me. I muttered the whole time, angry that he would switch moods so quickly, and mad that I had to open my mouth and ask him the questions suddenly.

I brushed my skirt in short, choppy movements an stiffly walked out of the park myself. I counted to 10 to calm my nerves – it was the third freakin' time that he'd called me Mudblood. I had already politely asked him not to call me that and it seemed as if he had no sort of disregard for my own feelings.

_Damn it, I can only take this for so long…_

I fought the urge to kick a tree as I walked by. I was mad but also hurt. Here I was, wasting precious time that could be used for studying for the Healer exams and I got insults for it. I was bloody tired of being insulted by that prick.

I also knew I wasn't completely the victim either – I knew that the ferret case would rile him up so I did it on purpose. _Heaven, grant me patience and mercy_, I thought to myself as I apparated back into my living room. I kicked off my sneakers and walked into my living room to watch some TV. Maybe it would calm me down before the clock hit half past six o'clock.

**oo**

After an hour of something about detectives, I was a bit calmer than before. There was a strange buzzing in my head, like an annoying little fly that could be heard flying around in the next room. It was sort of distant though, so I ignored it. Though I was still steaming and a bit confused from the insulting word, I knew that I nice, long night walk would dissolve that anxiety. I changed into a pair of black sweats and a hoodie then shoved my house and car keys just into my pockets. I slid out of my front door before closing and locking it securely.

A run would do me some good and I began a brisk walk down the porch stairs of my small house, then turned right and began to jog slowly. It was a pretty summer night, with a sky spattered with bright stars and the faint honk of cars and trucks form the intersection. A crisp breeze blew my long, wavy hair into my face – figures, I had forgotten to tie it back with a scrunchie. As I ran, my mind wandered off into different pleasant directions so I took no notice of where I was running too. It was just me and the night air and the quiet night. Everything narrowed down to my feet hitting the pavement. It was lovely. It also was distracting. I found that I'd jogged for about twenty minutes before I began to take notice of my surroundings.

My legs slowed to an uncertain stop as I realized that I wasn't really in my neighborhood anymore. Unfortunately for me, I had no idea where I was.

I looked around hard, before realizing I wasn't even on a sidewalk. Silly me, I had begun running on a side street.

"Alright," I muttered to myself as I looked up and down in the dim darkness. I'd never quite broken this habit of talking aloud. "I'll just jog back to see the street name."

This was a street that looked vaguely familiar. For the most part, I'd seen it in my brief walks to and from the grocer's. My heart wasn't beating hard, not at all, not with me humming a familiar tune from a Disney movie. I knew this street. I was not scared.

"We were strangers, starting out on a journey," I sang aloud. I couldn't help doing cursory sweep of the alley with my eyes. I took in everything as I walked quickly. This was proving to be a rather darker shortcut than I would have liked.

I sang louder.

Alright, I wasn't scared. I was just taking in the sights and sounds of this particular alley way. Why was the light of that passing car so far away in the distance? And was it just me, or was the street lamp's light flickering? That hadn't been happening. Shadows started to become a lot more ominous and that eerie darkness seemed to be getting heavier. I started to get a little frightened and my fast walking turned into a nervous jog.

_Stop scaring yourself, Hermione._

I tried to convince myself.

I really _really _did. It didn't work so I speeded up a little bit. Out of nowhere, a shadow made a leap at me from the darkness and I swerved to avoid it with a yelp and an instinctive protective charm. Unfortunately, I ended up crashing into something so hard that I saw stars. Before I could stop myself, I screamed.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

Blaise was busy working while I watched him - I had nothing better to do anyway. Sometimes it was interesting just to watch the way my mate's mind worked when he procured deals. I was just debating the merits of irritating him into drinking Firewhisky with me when a sharp pain pierced my head.

"Bloody hell," I swore, dropping my juice and clutching my head suddenly.

"You alright, mate?"

I waved him off - the pain was quickly gone.

"Yeah-"

I was rendered speechless for a moment as an emotion filled me that I couldn't place because...

...it was incongruous. There was no reason for this blinding, heart-stopping fear. I wasn't even aware when my hands left my head to hold my chest. My pulse sped up as my heart turned into a Muggle drum, beating furiously in a way that made me think of St. Mungoes. I was terrified for absolutely no reason. Something was happening. Something was wrong with me. Something was-

"Merlin, Draco what's going on? I'm calling for a house-elf."

Before I knew it, Blaise's alarmed face clearly seen in the bright lights of the Zabini Mansion disappeared.

It was replaced with a dark alley, in which I found myself crouched two feet away from a fallen figure on the hard pavement.

_What the **fuck**?_

I might have lost control over my faculties for a moment. I had no idea where I was. I had apparently been yanked to wherever the hell this was, outside Zabini's place which had wards in place that should have stopped this kind of thing, and something - someone - was breathing hard in front of me. I was terrified but I had more of a desire to get to the person who seemed to be sprawled in an odd angle facedown.

It groaned.

Holy shit, it was a girl and she was in pain.

Don't ask me why I dropped to the grimy ground and crawled towards her. Everything narrowed down to her. Don't ask me the 'why' of that either. When I reached her side, I tried to reach around her middle so that I could lift her up into a sitting position.

It was, needless to say, the exact _wrong_ thing to do.

The girl let out a blood-curdling scream and wrenched herself from my grip so hard that I fairly heard her the crack of bone on pavement. I panicked, holding her closer, and she fought like the damned. Her arms flailed out above and at her side, in an awkward position where she ended up banging them into the grimy floor. Every single time she accidentally hurt herself, I winced. It seemed like an immense pain bit into my heart over and over again.

"Everything is fine," I whispered to her before wrapping my arms around her shoulders, effectively pinning her arms to her sides so she couldn't hurt herself anymore. "Everything is fine. You're alright and I promise that I won't hurt you. I'm here to help you, you're hurt, I'm here to help you, I'm a friend. I'm a friend."

I babbled and whispered over and over as I righted her into a semi-sitting position in front of me, pulling her into my arms. I let go of her wrists hurriedly and the screaming immediately lowered.

Shit, she must have done something to her arm and I'd been gripping her and _no wonder _she'd sounded like she was being tortured.

"I'm here to help you," I repeated. Easing unto my knees, I pulled back to look at her. "I will not hurt you. I promise you I'm a friend."

What on earth had happened here?

I was still on my knees and it was too dim to see at first, but once my eyes got adjusted, I realized exactly who I was helping. With tearstains chasing trails down her cheeks, small sobs escaping her throat and her trademark brown curls flying about around her head in utter disarray, I was surprised that I hadn't recognize her immediately.

It was Granger.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

I hit the wall so hard that I literally rebounded. I screamed bloody murder as three things hit me hard. The first being the floor as I flew down to meet it, second being a wave of pain as my wrist snapped and third being that I was out in a dark alley at night with a possibly broken wrist and no wand.

For a full three minutes, I couldn't move as numbness in everything but my wrist swept over me. I was terrified, I was wandless, and I was utterly scared of the dark. My rationality had long left me helpless and the front of my body, along with the right side of my face, felt like they would never feel again. I couldn't even whimper, I was so scared. I had to breathe.

I had to breath.

I felt arms wrap around my middle and attempt to lift me off the floor.

_No, no, no, no, no. NONONONONONONONONONO!_

I lost it. There's no explanation for it. The last year swallowed me whole as fragmented memories of raids and battles with the Dark Side and the muted fear of imminent danger just- it just flew up to meet me. I think it was at that point that I lost my composure as well as my mind. I fought back with all my might since fear had pushed me to the limit – my arms flew out in an effort to connect with someone and I even gathered my numb legs to myself, in a feeble attempt to prepare to kick whoever it was. The crack of my wrist against the ground was indescribable. I couldn't assimilate the pain in my head so I fought harder.

My mind was a panicked daze and I wanted to howl and scream and fight through the haze that was preventing me from being coherent.

It was a man. He gripped both arms, bringing a fresh bout of tear for the hurt one, and I sobbed in earnest. I didn't want this. I had no idea what was happening. I fought as hard as I could. He avoided most of the blows that I was bent on inflicting. Before too long, I felt arms wrap around me to restrain my arms and hoist me up into a sitting position. I started sobbing in earnest because I knew what was going to happen. The thing most Muggle girls and witches feared was going to happen to me. The tears rolled down my face and I kept my eyes wedged shut – I didn't want to acknowledge this. A buzzing in my head was getting louder and louder like a huge bubble, threatening to burst and blow me up into a billion pieces.

"Granger, I promise I won't hurt you."

I opened my cloudy eyes to see a dirty Draco Malfoy crouching in front of me in the dark alley.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

"Granger," I whispered to her as I held her at arms length. "I promise I won't hurt you."

Hermione Granger opened her eyes so very slowly, tears still brimming over and running down when saw me. Immediately I saw a flash of recognition.

_She knows who I am. Good._

That was good. I had expected that. What I _hadn't_ expected was the way she pitched herself forward and started sobbing all over my shirt. I was so surprised – I doubted that she was all there in the head at the moment - but held her so tightly that it felt right.

"It's fine. You're fine. I'm here. You're alright. Just breathe," I crooned, "just breath."

It was the bond. I was here because of the bond. I was no longer terrified, just confused and alarmed and slightly angry. What had happened here? What on God's green earth had attacked her in a Muggle alley? I wanted to ask these questions so badly but the way she was crying made me want to stop her tears far more. I pulled her even closer, all the way into my lap, and sat propped against the dirty grey wall behind me with all that bushy hair cutting off my air supply.

"Please don't cry," I whispered with gentleness that I didn't even know I had. "It's ok, Granger. I swear that you're safe now."

I crooned and I whispered and I stroked her back in an effort to reassure her for at least ten minutes. I honestly couldn't do anything with her so wretched in my arms and it didn't matter that she was supposed to be one of my worst enemies. It didn't matter that we'd had a row that afternoon, it didn't matter that I was supposed to be angry that she was keeping me at arms length. All that mattered was that she stopped crying before my heart burst too.

Eventually, the sobs got quieter. Eventually, the shaking got weaker. Eventually, her fear seemed to quiet into a shiver and a sniffle every now and then. I had no idea if she was ready to face me but I held her anyway.

In total, it took about twenty minutes for Granger to relax the death grip she had on my green sweater and lift her tear streaked face. Even then, she didn't look at me or seem all that ware of where we were. In the dimness of the ally and the meager moonlight that pierced through, I could see her honey brown eyes glinting and the faint glimmer of tears on her cheeks. The right side of her face was bruised, her cheekbones accentuated by a painful looking purple discoloration. Her lips seemed cut or swollen from the fall and she held her left wrist in an awkward position; curled into her stomach carefully. I badly wished I was capable of wandless magic.

The bruises and broken bones I could deal with, the strange way she was acting I could not.

I needed to get her to Malfoy Mansion immediately.

"Granger," I said with arms still wrapped around her securely, still drawing circles on her back. "Granger, I…"

_What do I say after that?_

She certainly didn't do more than breath deeply and curl into my chest. So, I kept perfectly quiet after that. It wasn't long before the sniffles and the tremors died out entirely, replaced by even breathing. I felt a strange sort of peace radiating off of Granger so I took the chance to shake her gently. When I got no response whatsoever, it hit me.

Granger had gone to sleep in my arms.


	9. The Morning After

Author's Note - Updated August 31st, 2011. This chapter is quite chaotic because I ended up cutting so much of the old stuff. There is also a lot of switching between point-of-views, sorry! Remember to check out my profile for more information about my Dean and Luna story, and my Ron & Padma story (both of which are UP and RUNNING). Also, follow me on twitter (ChiChiOhh) and check out my blog if you can. Hah, I couldn't help the self-advertising. Note: none of my MAM stories are DH compliant. At all.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**Ninth Cycle**

**The Morning After**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

_Oh…Ugh…_

I don't think I would've woken up if I had any choice in the matter. The bed was just about the best thing since the invention of the hard-cover textbook, and I was buried so deeply into the thing that I'd made myself a nest. The familiar sound of rain was nice to hear and I really just wanted to go back to sleep.

My body had its own ideas, though.

As the case went, I refused to open my eyes until I had stretched completely and thoroughly. I raised my hands high above my head and stretched then extended my legs out as far as I could go before feeling a satisfying _crack_. It was then and only then, that I opened my eyes.

At first, I thought it was just my eyes being too blurry to focus on anything familiar. The room was _shimmering_. I had expected to be met by the nice creamy white of my ceiling and the gray light of the rainy day to hit my cheeks from the large window that was on the left of my queen sized bed. So, not seeing those immediately, I decided to rub my eyes thoroughly and try again.

Still no white ceiling in sight – instead I saw silver.

_Silver? _

I blinked.

I looked to my left and saw that there was a lot more bed than there should have been. In fact, the edge of the dark green sheets was a lot farther away than I was used to. And weren't my sheets grey? And wasn't my bed up against a wall so that only one side was free for entry? This bed was situated up against the wall, in the very middle of the wall. My vanity desk was gone, replaced with a large bureau next to a dark-wooded desk. A pretty but simple oval mirror that looked more familiar. But, when I looked closer, there was silver polish around the trim.

The bureau, that mirror, these colors…were not mine.

_Where…_

I breathed deeply so I wouldn't panic. If I could just think this through, I would come to the right conclusion. I continued my inspection of the room starting with the walls. They weren't white to begin with. They were a deep forest green – the kind that you found Slytherins wearing.

_Slytherins…Slytherins...?_

With an abrupt slam, the memories of last night came rushing back to me in detailed snatches and colors and feelings. It was like a tape unwinding in my head. The row that had induced more guilt and confusion than anger…Law & Order…the buzzing in my head during my run. Lost, dark, pain, terror…pale hair. It suddenly became painfully clear to me where I was.

If my suspicions were correct, I had just woken up in Malfoy Manor.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

There's nothing quite as eye-opening as being left in the middle of Merlin knows where with your unconscious woman-to-be. Barring that, it had been quite easy to get Granger back to my home without waking her up. I'd thought that she was the kind of girl to be a very light sleeper, but she had cried herself into a deep sleep. Even though I'd been completely and thoroughly fed up with her no more than ten hours earlier, I couldn't leave her hair.

I couldn't. Besides, she was mine to see to.

My head was still hurting but I was afraid that something had happened to her before I'd reached her. I had to make sure nothing was...out of sorts...anywhere on her person but I couldn't bring myself to do something that might have her wake up screaming. So I rushed home. She remained in that deep exhausted state while I Side Apparated back to my estate. She was usually such a big presence in a room that I was surprised to realize that she fit rather neatly into my arms. That wrist though was black and blue and swollen out of proportion. The wards hummed quickly when I took them down and pulled them back up.

I Side Apparated again into my own bedroom without thinking twice about it, careful of the wrist she subconsciously held close.

"Cranky?"

Immediately, my favorite house elf was at my side.

"Get my Mother."

I didn't spare him a glance as he left. She looked so much worse in the bright lights of the room. For a minute there, the bruises on her face took me back to the torture chambers and the dungeons and Voldemort...I blinked.

This was Hermione Granger.

She was safe. She was here. I could help her.

I laid her down carefully on my bed. The left side of her face was bruised. Three scratch marks, the middle one thicker than the others, and a little dried blood around the temple. The purpling around her cheekbone wasn't too bad but her hair was tangled and her clothes were dirty and soaked. I needed help. I needed-

"Draco?" I turned to see my Mother, bespectacled and wrapped in a heavy black shawl to ward off the cold. Her face went from concerned to alarmed when she spotted Granger on the bed. "The Granger girl? What on earth has happened?"

"Found her like this," I said tersely. "Marriage law's mental bond."

Mother looked patently horrified.

"Good heavens." She moved forward and pushed me aside to look at the prone form. "What happened?"

"She slept before I could find out. She's bruised, there's a broken wrist, blood. We...I just...she was sprawled there so I don't know but we need to-"

"I know." She looked over her spectacles. "Give me a moment. I'll pull you back in when I'm done."

I knew when I'd been given the boot. It was horrible that I could barely stand to leave her side - when I left the room to wait in the dim light of the hallway, the headache only got worse.

"Cranky."

It wasn't very long before the trusted house-elf returned. I had the state of mind to offer him an apologetic look before I asked him for parchment and a quill of sorts. It gave me a little bit of time to compose a note in my head to poor Blaise, whose home I'd just been forcefully yanked out of. The Zabini Place had wards much the same as the Malfoy Mansion did but its wards did more than just repel...they usually burned. Thank Merlin they'd been down. A different house-elf brought the parchment and quills. He was probably out of his mind with worry now so I put ink to paper and made a short letter that sketched out the odd events, closing with a desire to see him next morning.

"Mother?" I knocked on the door quietly. Why wasn't she done yet? It couldn't have been that bad, could it? I knocked a little harder. "Mother?"

The door popped open.

"How is she?" I whispered. "Is...is everything-"

"No need to worry," my mother said easily. "A little hurt but nothing serious and nothing internal."

Merlin.

I can't even express how relieved I was in that moment. Mother understood - her eyes were comforting and her hand touched my arm briefly.

"I doubt she'll wake up in the middle of the night, but I suggest you remain close-by just in case."

"Thank you, Mother."

I kissed her cheek.

"You'll be fine returning to your suite, then?"

"Stay here. She needs you."

The smartest option was to sleep in one of my other bedrooms - the small dark green one through the connecting door.

It was there that I had stayed the night, falling asleep after long hours thinking and waiting and wondering. And it was there that I had awoken after about six short hours of sleep with a vague headache.

Now I sat on a wooden rocking chair that I had levitated from one of my studies into the bedroom so I could watch over Granger. The bed simply wasn't doing it for me at this point but Granger was fast asleep. I could see the top of her hair – those signature wild curls were a riot on my pillows - and something about the shapeless mass on the bed gave me the rest that the bed couldn't.

Which, in turn, made me vaguely uneasy.

_No bars Saturday night then,_ I thought to myself with a faint wry smile on my face. The bond had kicked in far earlier than I'd thought it would. Maybe I felt rested because she felt rested?

Yes, my mind was wandering.

_I wonder why she didn't just Apparate back to her apartment…But then again, her fear was very...destabilizing..._I absently pulled my wand out of my pocket and conjured another blanket to cover myself with. It was just about the same time I noticed her shivering.

I frowned, and conjured another one and stood, feeling slightly self-conscious as I flicked it over the girl in the bed and tucked her in.

_Bloody hell,_ I thought. I didn't want to be doing things that I didn't want to do! _Damned bond._

Complications.

Bloody complications.

This was the absolute last sort of thing I needed in my life.

I sighed ran a paler-than-usual hand through my lank hair. I really needed to take a shower and get myself in order, though it was just 8:25 on a Saturday morning. I ran off into the large bathroom adjoining my own bedroom. It was quite the fancy bathroom – done all on stunning black marble. Everywhere one turned, one would meet the sleek shine that accompanied the polish of the black surfaces. It was sleek, smooth and just to my tastes. I could relax here for a little bit before returning to my vigil over Granger.

_Yes, a shower…it's just what I need._

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

After realizing where I was, I fell into a daze – but not for long. If I was in his Manor, then Malfoy was bound to be there somewhere. I just had to find him. I sat up in bed and prepared to throw off the heavy but warm blankets.

_Wait a minute…what in blazes am I wearing?_ It wasn't anything that I would have the kind of money to buy – it was a pure silk pajama set, with long crème colored pants and a matching long-sleeved button up shirt. It was not something I would ever have gravitated towards. Which _really _meant I was not in my own home. I looked at my body in amazement but it only served as more confirmation as to where I was currently residing. Just then I became aware of a shower turning off in a room adjacent to mine and a half naked Malfoy walked out of his bathroom.

A half naked Malfoy was never a good thing.

He looked surprised to see that I was awake already but I didn't have time to ogle his chest or reprimand him for coming out indecently. All I had time for was one word.

"Explain."

"Well, well, well Granger."

His voice came out in his usual smooth and confident drawl and he stood dripping wet and unashamed with a white towel wrapped around his waist and one hand keeping it in place.

"Good morning to you too, I see."

I blinked at the obvious amusement in his voice before my brain caught up.

"Malfoy, just tell me how I got here please."

He gazed at me for a moment with something akin to resignation before his face resumed its usual nonchalance. He arched an eyebrow and used a deceptively calm voice when he next spoke.

"May I get dressed, Madame? Unless you rather have this conversation now with me still wet and getting cold."

"Um…go ahead," I said. He was still expectantly staring at me. "What?"

"Seeing as my clothes are in the closet and this _is_ my bedroom…" His voice held a note that was openly sarcastic and he was still looking at me as if I were mad. "Granger, _must_ I spell it out for you? Turn around if you rather not see me in all my glory."

_Oh…_

"Oh." I turned bright red, the blood rushing to my face as I realized what he had been trying to say the whole time. I threw myself unto the bed and flipped the blankets hurriedly over my head. "Sorry," I said in muffled voice.

"That's quite alright."

After that, all I heard was the rustle of clothing before the bathroom door shut. The stupid bloke was going to change in his bathroom anyway so I stuck my head out. Boy, was I ever wrong.

"Why did you tell me-"

I quite literally went speechless.

And sightless.

Unfortunately for me, Malfoy had never gone to the bathroom – the idiot was still in the room. No towel, no boxers, no nothing. At least, his back was to me so I didn't see anything that could have blinded me immediately. But that was about the only good thing about seeing Malfoy naked. My mouth dropped open and a whole lot of swear words tumbled out, as i forgot whatever it was that I would have asked him. As choice words tumbled out, the blond simply turned his head to look at me over pale shoulders. He just chuckled and shook his head like it was funny, and then turned his attention back to choosing his clothes from the wardrobe. I'm sure that my face would have matched Ginny's wild red hair by the time I threw the blankets right back over my head.

"I'm going to go get ready in the bathroom since you can't seem to keep your eyes off of me," I heard him say dryly. "After all, too much perfection seems to be more than you can handle right now."

I could hear the laughter in his voice and it made me go even redder under the sheets. I thanked heavens that he couldn't see me and tried a last show of dignity.

"You…you do that."

**oo**

Twenty minutes later, Malfoy was out and decently clothed and seated in a rocking chair at the side of the bed, wearing plain though baggy black jeans and a fitted white tee-shirt. Obviously, he took good care of himself since his carefully done hair had taken him a total of 15 minutes to prepare. I could smell a tantalizing waft of citrus scent coming off of him – I never imagined Malfoy to be the kind of boy who wore citrus. _Who knew?_

"So…" I began awkwardly laying back on the fluffy pillows behind me, trying not to look at Malfoy since the 'naked incident'. "Um…"

"I believe you wanted to ask me a question?"

Is it odd that even as I was looking at the wizard in front of me, a young man who I'd seen almost every day for all of my school life, I didn't recognize him? I don't know where he'd picked up this habit of appearing emotionless or disinterested. The Malfoy I remembered couldn't have hidden his feelings any better than Ron, really, and it was strange to see him sit here completely still. Was it the death of his father? Or of his godfather? Or the War itself?

He smiled faintly and I realized I was gazing at him like some moonstruck idiot. The realization made me sharp.

"I _know_ that I wanted to ask you a question."

"Oh?" There was definitely a mocking tone under that politeness. "I was under the impression that you had forgotten."

"Unfortunately for you, I hadn't." I smiled at him sweetly before continuing. "What am I doing here? How did you find me last night? What happened last night? And what time is it?"

_And what am I wearing?_

I resisted asking that last bit but it was a struggle.

"Non-sequential order," Malfoy said and held up a finger. "I found you through the bond, I believe, somewhere in Muggle London. Since I have no idea where you live, I took you to my home after you fell asleep last night. I don't have the faintest clue what happened last night, either, and it's only 9:00 in the morning."

Truthfully, I'm a little bit frightened by the dark. I remember the shadow and the jumping and the pain. I also remember sobbing quite happily when Malfoy finally waltzed into the situation...well, at least after I tried to severely incapacitate him when I thought I was being attacked. _Then_ I dissolved in his arms. I turned red as I remembered that little fact.

"Jogging." I said meekly. "I went jogging, after...after what happened earlier. I didn't take my wand because I didn't think I would need it. And I-"

I hushed. He'd stopped me with a hand.

"Are you hungry?" He asked the question kindly, something less than harsh melting into his facial expression. "We can talk more over breakfast."

"Yes," I said gratefully. "Yes, I would."

Something that looked quite near a smile appeared on his face before he stood. He held a hand out and I looked up in confusion for the third time that morning.

"Granger." He most definitely smiled. "Usually when men hold out a hand to women, it means that they want to help them out of their seats…or in this case, beds."

I blushed again, feeling stupid. I took his hand and it was then that I realized that the wrist that had been sprained last night was fixed. I used the other hand to feel my face thoroughly – not a scratch or a bruise or a twinge of pain was felt. I used his hand to pull me up and off the king sized bed.

"I suppose you're responsible for the lack of cuts and bruises as well?"

He shrugged while looking down at me.

"Then thanks are in order – thanks you very much, Malfoy." I smiled a very small smile at him before I turned away to look down at my very unfamiliar silk pajamas. I looked back up at Malfoy.

"Is it possible to change into something else?"

"Would you like to borrow something of mine?"

Something of his? Something of _his_? Somehow, I didn't think it I would look much better in Malfoy's oversized clothes. I could imagine myself lost inside a sea of cloth, trying to figure out which direction to go in before reaching the sleeves. I smiled painfully.

Malfoy just inclined his head before leading the way out the door, down the hallway, and down the stairs to wherever that beautiful aroma of bacon, eggs and biscuits was wafting up from.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

The bath had been nice but it hadn't led to me to any new conclusions about what to do with the witch in my bed. Imagine my surprise when I emerged to find Hermione Granger sitting up and looking anything but happy in my bed. Once she'd opened her mouth, all bets had been off. She was practically mortified to be here. Don't ask me why that little fact did nothing to make me feel any better about the situation. Now that she was quiet and following, I led her slowly down the mahogany staircase, being careful to keep her at my side at all times. I didn't really bother to give her a grand tour since I didn't know if, or when she'd be back. Nor was she in any shape to really be carousing around my home without proper introduction.

_No use in wasting my breath or time._

Lest I be called 'nice', I did manage to keep something a secret. Granger probably thought that I mean to have breakfast with her alone, in some secluded little area of the Manor where she could plague me with more questions about what happened last night or drown us both in awkward silence. I wasn't planning to have any of that. When I reached the doorway to the small family dining room on the second floor, I stepped back to allow Granger to go in first. And had to kick back a really _really _childish urge to giggle when the witch all but froze in the doorway.

See, my mother already seated at the small table.

I have to hand it to Granger, though. I only surmised how tense she was because I had suddenly become slightly tense myself. The general feeling I was getting from her was a funny mixture of acute embarrassment, fear and defiance. I guessed that the embarrassment probably stemmed from the fact that she had come down in pj's and my mother was dressed in an elegant white form-fitting sweater with dressy tan slacks and a woven belt. The fear…she probably thought that Mother would be like Father on the issue of blood, and would insult her into oblivion. The bond was clueing me into her feelings even more now that she was awake and conscious, but besides a single blink and a rather obvious swallow, she rallied like a trooper.

I'd rather have watched her squirm like a rodent underfoot but, alas, that was not to be.

I watched her smile at my Mother sweetly before smiling at me just as nicely. A lesser man might have winced.

Good thing I was made of sterner stuff.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

I could have happily kicked Malfoy in the shins.

I think that my first impulse upon seeing Narcissa Malfoy's face upturned and taking me in blandly, in all my 'pride and glory' was to march upstairs with Malfoy and give him a good beating while putting **anything else** on. She was stunning; high cheekbones and slanted grey cat eyes, and straight blonde hair with silver streaks that complemented her marble pale skin well. Even the laugh lines around her mouth and the way she seemed to glow made her Lucius Malfoy had been tall and imposing, this woman before me was shorter than I, small with even and petite features. Everything about her bespoke of wealth and elegance, from the soft white cashmere sweater and dressy tan trousers to the glittering diamond bracelet she wore on her left wrist and the matching drop earrings that sparkled on her ears. I felt like a ragamuffin in her presence. But I, Hermione Granger, wasn't going to let this inward turmoil frazzle my outward calm. After all, I worked better under pressure, did I not?

I smiled at the older woman in my sweetest way, trying to get off on a good start this early Saturday morning.

Despite the silver that streaked her hair prematurely, she sat at her dining table as if she were young reigning royalty. The Daily Prophet was open and propped next to a very pretty and very expensive looking piece of china, but she looked up expectantly.

"Mother."

Draco grinned openly and quickly left my side to greet his mom. I hoped that my mouth wasn't open and I resisted the strong urge to reach up and feel around to make sure it was closed. Gone was the restrained creature I'd been dealing with all morning. Malfoy bent double to kiss her cheek and she smiled as his arms went around her in a loving hug.

"Son."

Her voice was a higher version of Malfoy's, a strangely reedy soprano. Still, the two of them managed to imbue a wealth of emotion without any of the usual endearments. It took a good deal of courage to draw attention to myself when mother and son were so clearly in their own small world. Still, I would not be cowed. I shifted forward and fought the absurd urge to drop a courtesy. Malfoy took the hint.

"Mother," he said formally. "I would like to formally introduce you to Hermione Granger."

You'll be proud to hear my smile did not falter in the least.

"Good morning, Lady Malfoy."

"It is good to meet you," she said softly. Clearly, she knew who I was and would give no feelings away. When I meekly dropped into my seat, she touched my hand. "Although not in the best circumstances, my dear, it is still good to meet you at last."

I was completely relieved when she finally smiled.

"The houselves will be arriving shortly with juice, bacon, eggs, biscuits and fruit. Besides, I'm feeling a bit short with you two standing next to me."

Before I could move Malfoy swept behind me to pull out a chair for me to sit in. With murmured thanks, I took my seat carefully and took an inventory of the surroundings quickly. This private dining room was relatively spacious, with enough space to include space for three grown men to walk side-by-side around the round table. To the sides, the walls were done in white instead of the green & silver that I had half been expecting and above me stood a miniature chandelier – a very delicate version of the real thing. I turned my attention back to the table, just in time to see foods magically appear on the table. Firstly, we had our own plates in front of us to place whatever we wanted on it. There were three small . My mouth _and_ eyes started to water at the sight of platters of scrambled eggs, fried bacon and hot, freshly buttered biscuits.

_No, Hermione! You shall **not** eat everything in sight._

Good heavens, I was hungry.

This was not usually the case in the mornings. Maybe I had a hungry look on my face as I took in the sight or a maniacal gleam in my eyes. Whatever it was, Mrs. Malfoy gracefully waved us both to tuck in.

_Alright, Hermione, _I gave myself a pep talk as I concentrated on slowing down the speed at which my hand extended itself to pull the biscuit platter towards me and carefully pull two steaming, hot, fresh, flaky, buttery deliciousness- I took a deep breath and continued my self help speech._ We had a **very** emotional night but we shall keep cool and eat slow. __We. Shall. Not. Embarrass. Ourselves. __Alright, Hermione?_

I inhaled the heavenly scent, my eyelids sliding down and almost shutting in the unearthly pleasure I derived from that smell. This was becoming a bit absurd, I had _never_ felt this hungry before in my life. Even in the War, after a particularly grueling mission which left Neville and Luna in near condition due to a lapse of concentration on my part, I hadn't had such a strong reaction. Although breakfast was an important meal, I never ate more than a slice of toast with tea these days.

I pulled myself back to reality and my much too active stomach and forgot about it momentarily. I ate carefully, after all one of the most elegant women in wizarding England sat across from me. I had to be wary, for I didn't want to lose it over any snide comments or disdainful looks thrown my way by either of the two Malfoys.

"So, Miss Granger, I presume that you knew about this marriage beforehand." Mrs. Malfoy looked at me while reaching for a buttered biscuit on the center platter of the circular dining table.

"Not the particulars, Madame, but I certainly had about 24 hours to prepare myself." God knows nothing could have helped me but alas, I couldn't be anything less than gracious in front of the mother of the man I'd eventually have to - ugh. "Most people didn't have any idea what was coming."

"I take it that this is still quite the shock, yes?" Her faint smile was sympathetic.

"Quite so," I said simply. "Being married at the age of eighteen or nineteen is quite...surprising."

"I can imagine so," Mrs. Malfoy replied before taking a sip of her coffee. "The same thing happened with me and Lucius at the age of 16."

I nodded as I thought about what she had said and I saw Draco look up sharply from his food to give his mother a questioning look. She didn't seem to notice his look and kept her eyes trained on me as she continued to sip her black coffee. I had suspected something like that had taken place with the pureblood wizarding lines – in fact, when Harry, Ron, and I still attended Hogwarts, I had been under the impression that Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson were under an arranged marriage contract between the two families. Whether that was mere hearsay was not any of my business.

"Please, excuse me if I'm being too forward, but didn't you attend Hogwarts?"

"Yes," she replied with the air of one talking about the weather. "And I was allowed to finish school, which was expected."

There was a world of meaning in that.

"Oh." I slowly chewed a delicious bite of the eggs as I continued to look at her, taking in everything from the fashionably cut hair, the French manicured nails of the hands wrapped around the white mug, to the diamond bracelet and matching earrings. I couldn't understand it - not wanting to do anything but tend the house after schooling - but I truly believed that some people were simple happier at home. Maybe she was one of them but...to meet expectations? What expectations did she have for me? And why was I still ravenous?

"Your son told me that you also help with the managing of the business accounts that the Malfoys currently own." I would avoid calling Malfoy 'Malfoy' in front of his mother at all costs but I wasn't about to call him 'Draco' either. I concentrated on trying to appease my still grumbling stomach and pay attention to the conversation as well. "It sounds like quite an endeavor."

"And he's right." She laughed a genuine sound that was as sudden as the breaking of dishes but still easy going at the same time. "I seem to have developed a head for business just when it was most needed. But Draco does most everything, don't you darling?"

Until that point, Malfoy had been _completely_ taken up with the prospect of eating. I suspected that the intense hunger that I had felt earlier was Malfoy's needs, and not entirely mine because of the bond. Now, he looked up and smiled at his mum.

"I wouldn't have any free time if Mother didn't help me with the accounting side of everything."

I pasted a smile on my face that wasn't half-fake as I watched their interaction until Narcissa Malfoy turned to me once moree

"And exactly what are your plans for the future?"

I took a small bite of bacon before chewing quickly and swallowing. I assumed that she meant job wise.

"I'm studying to become a Healer at St. Mungo's."

Mrs. Malfoy's face took on an interested aspect. "Really? That's quite the profession, my dear. When are the exams supposed to take place?"

"Ah…at the very end of the summer, in the last week of August. Since it is June now, I still have about 6 weeks to cover all my books thoroughly twice."

"Twice?" she questioned me with a humorous smile. "I would expect nothing less from the Light side's most brilliant witch."

I inclined my head as I gave her a grin right back. "Why, thank you Madame."

"Are you planning on staying in England and working at St. Mungo's?" She delicately took a bite of scrambled eggs while she looked at me across the table.

"Oh yes," I said with a smile. "I will definitely stay in England and work at St. Mungo's. And even if I were leaving, things would be put on hold due to the Ministry's decision to change our lives."

"And where do you live right now?"

"I live in London right now, and I have my apparition license. I think we all got them early because of the War." I looked over to Malfoy who nodded in confirmation. "Anyway, it's easy to get to anywhere I want to go from my apartment."

"It's an apartment?" This time Malfoy himself was the one who asked the question with a curious look on his face. His mother looked at the both of us with a fleeting glance of confusion, but then the look passed out of her face as if it were never there.

"Yes, I live in an apartment." An oh-my-gosh-I-can't-believe-people-actually-live-in-those look crossed his face briefly, before he turned all of his attention back to his food.

"It's quite far from here." I took a large bite of a biscuit and brought a glass of milk to my lips to swallow.

"I'm assuming that this where Draco found you last night."

The milk that I was trying to swallow almost caught in my throat but I managed to down it satisfactorily without choking. I didn't even look over at Malfoy for fear of steam rising out of my ears visibly. Just when I'd thought we'd managed to tactfully get around what exactly I was doing in their home, his Mum had delivered the delicate whammy. I sensed him fighting back amusement across from me and firmly kept my eyes on the plate.

"Yes," I coughed, "I went out for a run but got lost last night, broke my wrist and left my wand in my apartment."

"Ah," she said with a brief smile, "it has been a pleasure meeting you but I am sure that you and Draco have matters to discuss, based on the glares that you keep shooting him every ten seconds."

I blushed deeply and tried to get out of it with a - "Oh no, Madame. Please stay" - but she shut that down rather quickly.

"I must be going," she smiled at me and Malfoy rose to his feet to plant a kiss on her cheek. "I shall see you both later." She waved as she walked out of the dining room gracefully, and disappeared up the hallway to some other place.

The silence that permeated the dining room after that was tangible and awkward. Malfoy had already returned to his chair and busied himself with eating more food. I just sat there because my hunger had been replaced with anxiety as I remembered the night before.

I had thrown myself at Malfoy after that – he was the one person who I least expected but was most happy to see. It was the terror that had made me do that and it made sense to me that I would cling, regardless of whom it was, to a familiar face. Yes, it was embarrassing that I had lost my cool in front of Mafoy, from whom I expected some kind of taunt. What was strange was the fact that I had gone to sleep in his arms. Now _that_ was a very un-Hermione like thing for me to do.

"Granger." Malfoy broke into my thoughts abruptly and I started in my chair, upsetting my plate and dropping my fork.

"Don't startle me like that," I snapped. Unsettling thoughts and unsettling events and unsettling guys were starting to get to me.

"Touchy, touchy are we?" His trademark smirk was back from our days at Hogwarts, and his confidence and arrogance seemed to be inflating his already over-sized head. He had positioned himself comfortably in his chair, leaning back with his arms crossed behind his head like a pillow and his silver blonde locks falling carelessly over his grey-blue , did he think this was some sort of photoshoot? I wished he would sit up!

"Am not," I snapped again.

He just smiled in a knowing way and I glared at him.

"Alright," he said in a mocking voice, still cushioning his head. "Let's just talk about last night then. I think that I knew where you were because of the bond. Actually, I can feel you fuming over there on that side of the table _through_ the bond. What I want to know is how you got to where you were last night, what happened exactly, and why you felt like going for a run that late at night."

I glared at Malfoy.

"Runs usually calm me down," I told him shortly. "I wouldn't have needed your help if I hadn't forgotten my wand or got so disoriented by my fall."

"Granger, are you afraid of the dark?"

That question startled me into looking up at Malfoy in surprise. He unfolded his arms from the back his head and leant forward on the table using his elbows. He was staring at me in a curious way, as if he truly wanted to know the answer.

"Because last night when that happened, I felt what you felt. And it wasn't much fun, Granger."

Fun?

I blinked.

_Fun?_

"It was tons of fun," I said sarcastically. "Lying on the grimy floor in the middle of God knows where because I was scared into a wall, with a broken wrist and a bleeding face and what I thought was a rapist after me. I had a swell time!" I was working myself into a state as I relived the horror. "What also made my day was the completely pointless fight we had earlier, with name calling and male mood swings and everything. The whole reason I went on that run was to forget that and forget you! I don't need the insults and I don't want this marriage! And you know, waking up in the house of my enemy was the icing on that crap cake!"

Now, I was digressing.

"All I did was ask a question! One harmless question and what do I get for that?" I threw my hands in to the air as I continued to yell. "What do I get for that? I get an insult! You are such a dumb, insensitive git! If you can't be polite, then you should just shut up Malfoy!"

To say that he took this calmly would have been a lie - the flush on his face was apparent.

"Oh," growled Malfoy sarcastically as his eyes narrowed. "You are such a hypocrite! You started it – why would you call me ferret boy? And who's the idiot who goes out running at _night_ without a wand and then forgets all about her apparition license? "You think you know everything, Granger."

He taunted me with a sneer on his face as he mimicked me in a high girly-girl voice.

"'Oh, I'm Miss Smarty Pants Granger! Oh, I know the answer to every question before you even ask it! Oh, I'm the queen of the world because I'm best friends with The-Boy-Who-Won't-Die and his super annoying sidekick Weaselbee.'

My jaw dropped.

"Oh please," he continued cruelly in his own voice as I sat there with an open mouth. "Do you think that earns you the right to look down your nose at everyone? If you hadn't asked such an idiotic question yesterday, I wouldn't have gotten mad! I wasn't expecting a thank-you over breakfast of course, but recriminations are a bit startling coming from the one who could still be outside and unconscious if it hadn't been for me. And rape? Why would anyone in their right mind want to rape _you_? Even with a paper bag over your bushy head and tape over that filthy mouth, I wouldn't go near you for the world's supply of money."

I-

I was incapable of any outward expression of shop as I simply sat in my chair to gaze at him.

He had actually inferred...that...I stared, blankly noted the viciousness in his demeanor, the flush of his skin. This...this was not where I wanted to be. Gathering what was left of my tattered pride and strength; I calmly rose from my seat and leant across the table to heave a heavy slap across his face. Silently, I turned on my heels and walked into the hallway, but not before my palm appeared in a deep red on his very pale face. A wrinkled gray houself with a clean green cozy and a silver loincloth magically appeared.

"Lead me out of the Manor please."

"Yes, ma'am."


	10. Scintillation

Author's Note - Updated August 31st, 2011. This chapter is quite chaotic because I ended up cutting so much of the old stuff. There is also a lot of switching between point-of-views, sorry! Remember to check out my profile for more information about my Dean and Luna story, and my Ron & Padma story (both of which are UP and RUNNING). Also, follow me on twitter (ChiChiOhh) and check out my blog if you can. Hah, I couldn't help the self-advertising. Note: none of my MAM stories are DH compliant. At all. At school making this up

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**Tenth Cycle**

**Club Scintillation**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"Look," Blaise's amused floating head said to me from the fireplace. "That's why tonight will be the perfect night for going out and hitting the town. _You_ can stop venting to me about Hermione and _I_ can stop telling you about the date I had with Pansy last night. And about how amazing it was. And how-"

I would never do anything as classless as manually plug my ears but Merlin, I wanted to. His proposition was immensely tempting. Compared to my experience with the highly-esteemed Miss Granger, Blant's bluthering about was beginning to irritate me. I was back in my bedroom, plunked down on the floor and fuming. It was_ still_ raining outside, actually it was fairly more of a drizzle now. The row that Granger and I had just had an hour ago was still on my mind and Blaise had heard about it as soon as she had left the house. My face was still stinging, for God's sake and I wished she had slapped the other side just so I could have even redness.

It was annoying to have my right side pink and the other pale white.

"Really?"

"Come on Drake," he continued to cajole me as I thought about it for a few seconds. "It can't hurt."

"I guess it couldn't hurt."

"No, it really couldn't. And guess what? I'll invite Theo, Greg and Vince along if you like."

I brightened considerably at the mention of the other three, then dimmed as soon as I realized I've had to explain this mark on my face. You would think she was a witch with the way this damned mark refused to fade. Had she rubbed something on her hands first? Or did she whisper a spell as she made contact? I narrowed my eyes - I wouldn't ever put it past her. Or perhaps she'd0

"Come back to the land of the present, mate," said Blaise. "I can feel your thoughts turning to no-man's land."

Bloody yes, if no-man's land was now Hermione Granger.

God I couldn't stop.

"They said they'd keep their little secrets about who they're marrying," I griped instead. "So meet over at my house at about 8:00 so we can leave at half past the hour."

My best mate issued a salute then grinned,

"Is this so you can have more time to get ready, Malfoy?"

I chuckled hard.

"Of course, it's all a conspiracy, Zabini. It's all a conspiracy."

"Alright, in a couple of hours then. I'm off to have lunch with Pansy at noon."

"Rub it in," I snarled. "Just rub it in. Go ahead and get ready, lover boy."

His giant floating head disappeared with a massive pop and I jumped up from the bed and ran to take a long shower to mull things over in the hot water. Maybe the mark would have disappeared in the steam of the heat. If I could just get my hands on some of Mum's face cream then maybe I could get rid of it. It was like a giant banner to the world announcing that I was a miserable high-born prick.

Fuck.

I'd known that I had crossed the line when I made fun of 'rape' – I had surprised even _myself_ with my insensitive comment. And Granger really wasn't _that_ ugly. I mean, once one got past all that ridiculously curled hair and the bossiness, Granger was nothing to sneeze at. And I really had to face it - though I was surprised that she had slapped me, I had deserved it. Granger really brought out the prick in me.

At first, I had felt her anger through the bond. It was simmering sought of anger, which hadn't had time to really blow out of proportion as she slapped me across the face. But the as soon as she had left, the anger had disappeared. I couldn't feel it as strongly anymore; but whether that was due to her calming it down purposely or her tuning me out, I couldn't tell.

_Enough of that, for now. _

I flipped the light switch and turned to turn the water knobs for hot shower.

_We'll ponder this predicament later._

For now, I had something to look forward to tonight.

And that was all that mattered.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

"Look," Ginny rubbed my back as I fumed on my living room carpet. "We've been planning this outing since Wednesday. Luna already bailed. I will not be left alone! That's why tonight will be the perfect night for going out and hitting the town."

I ignored her.

"I can't believe he would call me ugly to my face."

I couldn't believe a lot of things.

I couldn't believe I'd gone running without a wand, that that fight yesterday had galled me enough into running, that I'd broken a wrist and suffered bruises and a sore face, that I'd crumbled when he'd found me. I also couldn't believe that he had wanted me to believe him changed when _every word out of his **lying filthy mouth **_was demeaning and degrading and wicked. I was going to grind my teeth down to naught soon.

Ginny was sitting on the couch behind me, trying and failing to calm me with a massage. I had called her immediately after changing out of that stupid silk set of pajamas and she had come over to let me vent. I supposed that a crueler woman than me might have simply told Harry and Ron, and might have enjoyed the bloodshed left in their wake, but there was no way anyone would be shedding any blood besides me. None. I wanted that pleasure to myself. Now that it was about 7:45 in the evening and I had had a sufficient amount of time to think over things, I wanted to hit that good-for-nothing bloke. _Heavens, if I could just get my hands on him….ooh, I would scratch his pretty little eyes out of that ugly little face and-_

"Pull out his disgustingly perfectly gelled hair, strand by strand." I realized I was speaking out loud but I didn't care; I continued to mutter to myself as well as Ginny as I stared into the flickering firelight.

"Stupid ferret. Oh, I would cut off his tongue so he would think twice about talking about rape like that. Asides from being the most cruel thing he has ever said, how can it sit right with someone to speak about such a crime in such an easy manner?"

It was...unbelievable. Cruel and unbelievable.

And maybe I'd expected just a bit more from this new Draco Malfoy that he had been intent on showing off to me.

"I honestly don't know," she said solemnly. "And I agree. If you ever want help with that plan, I'm your girl. Luna will probably watch and advise from the sidelines."

I laughed - I could imagine her tilting her head, directing me to send a hex to this or that particular body part. The rubbing started back up again and I tried to relax enough to enjoy it.

I honestly tried.

"You know, you could just tell them," said Gin thoughtfully. "Any of the boys would tear him apart. And together? They would be lethal."

A woman after my own heart. We both shared a very delighted smile upon the thought of reading an article in the Daily Prophet…I could just see the headlines now...'Heir of the Prominent Malfoy Estate Found Bruised, Bloody and Broken on Deserted Iceberg on Antarctica'...As beautiful as a headline like that would be, I didn't want to stoop to his level.

"As brilliant as that would be, I have to deal with this on my own. I can't have the boys saving me all the time. It's my problem –I'll deal." I sighed before brightening a bit. "Besides, it wouldn't be any fun if the boys handled it by themselves, would it Gin?"

Maybe I really _was_ surprised.

After that row where he'd made it clear that he was _different_ and that I didn't treat him as if that were the case, I'd thought and thought and worried myself into a nit thinking that I wasn't being fair to him. That I wasn't giving him a chance and that it was very hypocritical of me to simply write-him off as if he were a burden I'd be shackled to for the rest of my life. And maybe after thinking all of that and wondering how to fix it, I'd been at least at the half way point in figuring out a way to do it.

And then he'd said what he said.

And torn it for sure.

"None at all." She bent over and poked her head in front of my face, simultaneously getting my attention and obstructing my view of the fire. "Speaking of the boys, the twins are coming over to the party tomorrow. So is Luna, whom I invited because we haven't seen her in weeks. And you seemed to have forgotten all about them."

"You see this?" I exclaimed angrily and through both arms up in the air in utter frustration. "He has me totally nuts - I had a feeling that I was missing something. Thanks Ginny."

"And," Ginny said with her signature mischievous smile and a waving index finger, "Speaking of fun, we're going out. No 'buts' about it. Alright?"

I opened my mouth-

"Come on," she said as she swung herself off of the chair and stood in front of me with her hands on her hips. The firelight played across the back of her black jeans and long white tee and made her hair look wine red – it looked like she was hallowed out in a soft orange glow. She reached forward and grabbed my hands to yank hard. I allowed myself to be pulled up and pushed down the hallway, through my bedroom and shoved into my bathroom.

"Do something with yourself," Ginny ordered me while crossing her hands over her chest in a bossy way. We stood in front of the mirror that covered one side of the wall above my white sink.

"Accio Wand!" Now, both our wands were in her hands. She handed me mine. "Call the cab to come pick us up in forty-five minutes. We're going to get there the Muggle way because tonight is a different event, alright? Now, would you rather take a shower first or will I?"

I rolled my eyes and gestured to the shower.

"Be my guest."

**oo**

Ten minutes later, Ginny pranced out in one of my fluffy white towels to turn on the radio that stood on my bedroom dresser. Immediately, she turned to me and pulled me up again to dance around the room with her. At first, I was reluctant but the beat got into me and I found myself moving before long.

"All I wanna do is have some fun and I got a feeling I'm not the only one," she belted out - right into my ear might I add **_- _**And I had to smile. Ginny and I danced around in circles on the gray carpet of my bedroom. I laughed as Ginny spun around, almost loosing her footing but regaining it just in time to stick her tongue out at me and wriggle her hips.

**_"_**The matches and the buds and the clean and dirty cars; the sun and the moon!" I sang back as the singer hit a high note, before I threw my hands in the air and bumped hips with Ginny. We then continued to dance a silly little dance in a circle as she ushered me closer and closer to the bathroom door. We weaved our hands over and over in the air and swung our hips to the beat. I giggled as the dancing brought me into an amazingly good mood.

She blasted my eardrums with the last verse as she all but shoved me into the tub, clothes on, and slammed the door on me. I burst into laughter as she picked up a new song and wailed it at the top of her lungs. She was good about getting me out of moods. And I was good at getting clean - so I might as well get ready for our night on the town. Fifteen minutes later, after I was clean and fresh and dressed, the redhead was banging on the door.

"Alright," Ginny said on the other side of the door. "I'll open the door in three. One…two…three!"

The bathroom door sprung open and Ginny and I were left to admire each other with the clubbing outfits that we had picked.

"Well, well" she exclaimed with hands thrown in the air and a proud look on her face. "You are simply _smashing_!"

Parvati Patil once told me that black was 'my color' and then proceeded to forced me into as many of her little black dresses as she could – and I'd never forgotten the lesson. A short black miniskirt, a lacy backless halter (that tied behind my neck with a pronounced V-shaped front cut that dipped very low to show off cleavage), silver drop earrings and matching silver chain. My eyes were done lightly, with a mere dusting of light silver eye shadow and light black mascara to make them look more alluring while my lips were glossed over with clear lip gloss. All done by yours truly, after reading how to do it in _Witch Weekly. _And even though I personally thought that heels were impractical for dancing, nothing else would have made this particular outfit look quite as daring as it did.

It was certainly not something I would ever be comfortable wearing in the daylight. But that was neither here nor there so I grinned at Ginny and then took a closer look at her outfit.

Ginny's top was glittering bejeweled jade green which brought out her wine red hair even more alarmingly. The cut of the top was the type where there was excess material in the front so the cut dipped down vertically to her navel with a strip of jade material connecting the two sides horizontally. Her dark brown eyes were outlined in a matching shade of green and she had on the same colored high heels which gave her height and an aura of being in charge. Her lips were a tinted cherry red that made them fuller and luscious. To top off her green glamour, she wore exotic green feather earrings, tipped with blue and her hair was swept up into a high ponytail with two curls hanging down either side of her small, smiling freckled face.

"Good Lord!" I grinned as I gave her two thumbs up. If I looked smashing, Ginny was off the charts. "Maybe I should take off something?"

She snorted then pushed past me into the bathroom.

"All we need now is a little bit of body glitter, and we're off!"

I had to draw the line there, though I watched as she sprinkled herself in abundance and came out shining like a faerie.

"Got our wands?" Ginny asked.

"Check," I said while patting my small black purse.

"Keys?"

"Check!"

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's hit London's hottest club!"

"Scintillation, it is?"

"Scintillation, it is!"

We both laughed and locked arms before strutting our way to the door, down my apartment house stairs and into the backseat of the waiting yellow cab below.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

Cranky ushered Theodore, Vince, Greg and Blaise into one of the many living rooms that I regularly used to entertain guests around 6 o'clock in the evening while I stared at the fading mark on my face. At least it was a lot less..._less._ And the cream was helping. So had the ice. And the charm.

God damn her.

I put it in away and jogged the rest of the way down the stairs to see my best mates.

"Greg," I clapped my oldest friend on the back. He was just as tall as ever, dressed in baggy dark blue jeans and a royal blue shirt that was unbuttoned halfway. "I haven't seen you in weeks, my friend. What have you been up to?"

"Ah, Draco," his gruff laughter met my ears as we walked over to one of the chairs. He ran a hand through his short, spiky hair. "Engagement to Millicent Bullstrode has been taken care of."

The Ministry was making great leaps and bounds in forcing the most unlikely people together. The day he told me, I could have been knocked over by a gentle breeze. Not that he was upset about it, he seemed to have taken to the beefy - ahem, sturdy - girl quite well.

"You think that's bad?" He laughed again while leaning forward to rest his elbows on his thighs. "Wait until you hear Vince and Theo's."

Theo and Vince chose that moment to stroll into the living room together as Cranky disappeared behind them noiselessly. I grinned as I walked toward them and clapped both on the back. It was good having the boys back under one roof.

"Theo, Vince!" I said jovially as I led them over to another couch that faced the one Greg and I had been sitting in. Greetings went around once again before we all settled back in our respective chairs. "Greg was just telling me about your betrothals…or not telling me, actually."

Theodore leant back in his chair with a sound that barely passed for a sigh. He shoved his hands into the pockets of the dark khaki cut offs he was wearing and let his head drop to his chest. His preppy, white collared, button up shirt was also open halfway.

"I take it that you know and hate her," I said sympathetically. I'd never seen this brooding bloke so down. He looked up and snorted ungracefully.

"Hannah fucking Abott. From Hufflepuff. I didn't really know her at Hogwarts but I hate her now."

"Really? With Granger and I…there's history. What happened?"

"I don't really know…it was hate on first sight. I practically had to threaten her into the meetings." He rolled his eyes and looked at each of us in turn. "No idea what her problem is."

"If it makes you feel any better, Granger is a complete nutcase and she irritates me beyond belief. It's difficult for us to stay in the same room and stay civil for more than half an hour." I narrowed my eyes as I remembered the slap. And what I'd said to deserve it.

_Damn it._

Heaven help me.

"Good God, is he starting again?" We all looked up to see Zabini striding into the room, looking every inch the young playboy. He rolled his eyes at me and then looked at the others. "Every other thing is 'Granger this…' or 'Granger that!'Thus, a stag night!"

Vincent smiled.

"Pity you're not as happy as I am."

Merlin knew that was the truth. I would never have imagined Eloise Midgen, the one who had tried to curse off her acne and instead moved her nose off center, would be the one for him. I still couldn't believe it. Vincent Crabbe, damn the blackguard, was as happy as I had ever seen him in his entire life. Never mind that it had only been about two weeks, or that he hadn't really known she'd existed before this, but the bloke was _happy_. I hadn't seen him before this but he'd been disgustingly overjoyed when I'd caught him through Plunko's notes. And let me tell you, it wasn't that I begrudged him happiness. Much.

"Can we please _leave_ already?"

I could tell Vincent was just warming up. Nott and I exchanged a look and stood. Goyle laughed.

"You mean besides me?" Blaise asked with a leisurely smirk. "I can't help it that we get along fine with our fiancées."

I groaned and started towards the door. Behind me, Vince was already talking.

"-just didn't think that I would like her at first either. But…she's so different than I expected her to be…she's sweet…and kind-"

"We're _going_ now! Now!" Good God, anymore happiness and it was going to kill me. I pulled an obliging Zabini off the chair, and straightened up. "Alright, my good chaps. Let's head out to see what we can see."

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

"Rob!" shouted Ginny over the loud Muggle music. I tried not to laugh as I watched her gesticulate wildly in the packed place, to someone over by the bar. "Rob!"

This someone, this 'Rob' was someone I had only heard about a few times, and never met. I had no idea how Gin had managed to meet him, and I hadn't the foggiest why she'd decided to make a beeline straight for the bar as soon as we'd entered the place. Scinitillation managed to cater to Muggles, witches, and wizards alike and keep Muggles almost none the wiser. The Ministry hadn't been able to keep Voldemort under wraps long before the War started but word hadn't leaked very far. There was no doubt in my mind that the Ministry took care of the Muggles who voiced their suspicions but there was also no doubt that some of the dancing crowd knew just how different some of the bar's patrons were. Most of the time, the owners chose to have separate nights for the magical and non-magical. Tonight was one of those nights. I watched Gin continue to wave, and I started to sway a little to the thumping beats in the air.

"Rob!"

I smiled once more, then turned away from her to survey the crowd and let myself think.

The War with Voldemort had surprisingly lasted less than year – with Harry's impatience to find the Horcruxes and get revenge for Professor Dumbledore, the Order was hard pressed to stop the stubborn Boy-Who-Lived from attacking Voldemort head on. From the older crowd, all of the Weasleys joined, even Percy whose family took a long time to forgive him though he provided valuable information to the Order. Fleur Delacour and her younger sister Gabrielle, as well as Viktor Krum became our Order recruiters, in addition to Charlie Weasley. They brought in hundreds of new members from all over the world who were determined to fight and take Voldemort down. Our year gave added the most new members to the Order – a staggering 71 of us decided to cut our Seventh Year and join. Since the event in the Department of Mysteries our Fifth Year, Luna was already sort of in our group of friends, and she and Ginny were certainly getting on well. Neville definitely would join the Order, if anything to fight against those who took his parents from him – so those two were a-given.

Out of the forty-one, there were a few that were familiar to me and some were my best friends. Justin Flin-Fletchey, Hannah Abbot, Zacharias Smith and Ernie MacMillan from Hufflepuff. Terry Boot, Michael Corner and Anthony Goldstein from Ravenclaw also joined; as well as Cho Chang and the 'snitch'. From Gryffindor, I knew Lavender, Dean, Seamus Finnigan, Dennis and Colin Creevey very well. We newbies called ourselves Dumbledore's Army after the group we had created when Umbridge was in power at Hogwarts. Yes, it was tough and yes, we were scared but it was also exhilarating…But not everyone had survived the War.

Poor Colin had died a horrific death, tortured by a group of Death Eaters led by the same man who had tried to get Buckbeak excuted, then burned alive as they watched. All we had left of Colin were ashes and tears. His brother Dennis had gone into a deep depression and went off on a suicide mission to find those who killed his brother. Find them he did, and he killed seven Death Eaters before he was overwhelmed. We had nothing left of him.

Seamus, funny Seamus, he had spent his last moments fighting desperately to protect Lavender from an impromptu Death Eater attack on her family's home in Brunswick. Lavender had also died, leaving silence in the wake of the loud laughter that she had brought to the Order. I'd never quite forgiven her for stealing Ron away from me but I'd she'd become sort of an interesting... friend rather to have around. It had been shocking. Parvati had been devastated, as were Dean and by proxy Padma, and their deaths had only made Harry more anxious to break out and take Voldemort by force-

"'Mione!" An elbow poked me in the side as I was jolted out of those not-so-fond memories by force. It was Ginny, who was looking at me with a smile on her face. The smile slid into a concerned look as she really gazed at me. "Everything alright?"

I shook my head, pulled out a smile.

"Where's your Rob?"

The smile on her face was curiously mischievous.

"He's right in front of you."

I turned around to see...

Robert.

For one flustered moment, I found myself staring at one of the most physically attractive men in the establishment. Which was already rather full to brimming with attractive men but honestly, if my suspicions are correct, my mouth was open for a full second before I regained my senses. The mysterious 'Robert' who was Irish - if I remember correctly - had dark green eyes and messy black hair and _dimples_. Dimples. Heavens, dimples were like weapons aimed at the opposite sex! Everyone knew that! And, apparently, a...um... a rather nice body underneath his simple black tee-shirt.

He smiled.

I blinked.

And shot a look at Ginny who seemed to be occupied with getting drinks from another bartender.

"Evening," this Robert said quietly with his head resting in the palm of his hand and his dark green eyes trained on mine. Was it hot in here? I felt my eyes slide close a little bit and when I spoke, my voice came out in an unfamiliar purr.

"Hello."

I blinked, That was not my voice, That was _not my voice_. I had no idea why I sounded like I'd just woken up, or engaged in an intense session of mouth-to-mouth with someone. I almost didn't have time to analyze the change because Robert smiled and the smile was amazing slow. And sexy. And all of a sudden, I was speaking again.

"Pleased to meet you." I was simply going to pretend that I didn't sound like a sex operator. "I'm Hermione."

His smile grew wider.

"I know. I'm the bartender here but my shift's over and I've heard a lot about you. Would you care to dance?"

I honest-to-goodness felt butterflies fluttering in my stomach. How was this possible? In an instant, my mind flipped through the implications of this strange attraction. Did the bond not squash attraction to other males? Could a bond even do something like that? If it could, why didn't this one? Wouldn't this create a myriad of problems for anyone trying to keep from hurting their betrothed or getting hurt themselves-

"Won't you?" He whispered in my ear. "Please join me."

Oh, sweet heavens. I looked over to Ginny, who had one eyebrow delicately arched and a look of humor on her face.

"I'll be busy socializing but I'll be in sight."

Without a backward glance, she turned and walked away. Before I knew it, Robert had a polite hand at my back and one of my hands in his other one and I was being swept out unto the dance floor. The butterflies were agitated - the beat of the song, the hazy atmosphere - and I could see that the bond hadn't made it less difficult to be unfaithful to someone. It just made it more _dangerous_. Not that I was thinking of being unfaithful.

Not that I was moving into the man behind me like he was mine.

Not that I particularly enjoyed the way his arms spanned my waist or that I was completely gratified by the way he'd buried a hand in my hair.

I mean...not at all.

But it was so hot – I felt a slow burn starting between our bodies that I wasn't ready to pull away from, and I was incredibly aware of every breath in my body. So hot, it was so _hot _- either that or I was close to having a heat stroke right here on the dance floor. A bead of sweat trickled slowly down between my breasts and Robert's hands slowly rubbing my thighs as I realized that I'd wound both arms around his neck to pull him closer. This was not good.

"Full name?" I managed to say to him above the crowd. I needed a distraction. I needed to unwind my arms. I needed to not enjoy how this felt.

"Robert Callahan. Part Irish, part American. I live in London – less than twenty minutes away. I'm a Muggle and you are definitely a witch. Am I correct?

Bad idea, bad idea.

His breath on my skin was not at all calming. Add to that the fact that I'd closed my eyes somewhere in the last few moments and that it was getting hotter and hotter here.

Bad idea.

"So what are you doing here alone?" he asked. He'd heard of the Law? Or was it idle flattery? It was pretty flattery nonetheless, and coming from someone who sounded like he was smiling as he said it. "You can't be single at this point."

I was burning up and the hand buried in my hair tugged me back so that we were face to face and I felt like everything was slowing down. He smiled and the look was so charming that I was smiling back, even as I tried to say that I was very _very _not single at this point in time.

"I-

Suddenly, a vice-like grip on my arm yanked me out of Robert's hold. Shocked that Ginny was finally interrupting, I turned and choked on my words. I had turned to find myself looking up into the enraged face of one Draco Malfoy.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

Vincent led us to the closest mini-bar and we took up five of the eight stools provided for us. Blaise sat on one end, then Theodore, Gregory, Vincent with me taking up the other end. In short time, the order for Firewhiskey had gone up and we had turned around to watch the crowd. Sure, we weren't here to pick anyone up but we had eyes in our heads and blood in our veins, eh?

"Look at that gorgeous redhead over there," shouted Blaise over the loud R&B music as he discreetly pointed to a girl talking to a group mini-bars over to our left. He was right – even just the side-profile of her tapping her feet in time to the beat was intriguing. She was dressed to the nines in a jade green and it looked like she had plumed feathers for earrings. I'd not once looked at redheads but she certainly was a looker. No two ways about it. But...

_That hair…_

"Merlin," I shouted and looked over to the rest of the guys. "That's Ginny Weasley!"

"Weasley?" Greg whistled. "Potter's girlfriend, you mean?"

I nodded absently. If Weasley was here, then Granger was here. No two ways about _that._ But what the hell were they doing here on a Saturday night at the same time as I? And where the hell was she if she wasn't with the redhead? Granger surely didn't dance. I snorted at the thought. I couldn't imagine her doing anything besides sitting in a room surrounded by books or burying her nose in spells.

Please.

Or so I had thought.

"Granger's over there…" Blaise shouted and we all followed the line of his own light brown eyes. "And it looks like she's a little preoccupied!"

I don't think anything could have prepared me for the sight that met my eyes that Saturday night. Hermione Granger, my fiancée-to-be, was wrapped in the arms of someone who _wasn't me._ The witch was dressed to kill – all black.

She was not alone.

...

_What-?_

I believe I actually took a moment to scrub at my eyes before I looked again to make sure that I was _actually _seeing what I was seeing. No, no, the horrifying image was still there. She was still dressed in black and-

-she was not alone.

And whoever he was had just forfeited his life.

An anger that I had never felt in my entire life rose up out of the pit of my belly as I watched her dance. Her hair was in a bun that looked as if it were coming apart due to some questionable activities. It seemed to me that her back was glued to that man's chest – and that man should have been me. The simmering rage akin to jealousy kept growing, like a fuse that was set to expose any minute, as I noticed that his hands were creeping all over her thighs. I absently suspected that if she was dressed in a heavy sack cloth skirt that stretched all the way down to her tanned ankles, I would _still_ want to cover her up.

"What the bloody _fuck_ is going on?" I growled out. I felt two pairs of hands try to grab my shoulders and force me back down but I wasn't having any of that. "Get the fuck off of me!"

I stood up as I continued to glare at Granger; seeing red, burning up, I swear to high heaven that I couldn't see or hear or feel anything else. I barely heard my friends trying to get me to sit down – I ignored everyone as I started to stride over to the dance floor. As I watched, that bastard started to whisper something in her ear. I saw her smile – a terribly flirtatious smile that I knew she would _never_ flash my way. And his hands were in her _hair_, and Merlin, I was racking my brains for a spell that would hit him and avoid her and-

Bloody hell, she would never smile at me that way.

I was furious.

I began to shove people violently out of my way as I stalked my way through the dance floor. I didn't much care as I watched the horror play out before my very eyes. The perverted git had a disgusting leer on his ugly face; a face I couldn't wait to smash in. I was almost there…less than ten feet away with all the shoving I was doing on the packed floor. He whispered something to her that got her attention; everything slowed down in that one second where she turned toward him.

My entire world focused on her. How her blasted curls were every which way. How that lacy halter top rode up as she turned. How one loose strand had curled around her face; blocking my view of the smooth skin of her tanned cheeks and the honey brown eyes that I temporarily found myself obsessed with. This time her smile was amused and friendly-

And, somehow, that was far worse than any flirtatious smile before it.

It was the spark that lost me. With a feral growl, I leapt forward to clamp my hands over her arms and drag her off that bastard before I socked him into oblivion for touching her. I yanked her off of him with her face less than a centimeter away from his lips.

"I-"

She turned away from him thinking that I was the Weaselette, her face appalled and frustrated with not being able to finish whatever the hell it was that she was going to start. I watched as her face paled and her brown eyes widened as she tilted her head up to look at me in shock.

_Good_, I thought viciously. _Very good._

"So very sorry to break up this little love fest," I snarled while my grip tightened. "But do you mind explaining what in the seven hells' is going on here?"


	11. Hath No Fury

Author's Note - Updated November 16th 2011.  
**For those of you who felt like the reviewer 'Lame of You' **–** I do sincerely apologize about making this chapter an author's note. I have been in the other position, as a reviewer who thought she was getting a chapter update and instead got bs. That said, I find it very rude of him/her to wish me ill while I'm trying to accomplish my dreams. I don't want a reader who feels that way so please feel free to take your patronage elsewhere.**

This chapter is quite chaotic because I ended up cutting so much of the old stuff and blending two chapters. Remember to check out my profile for more information about my Dean and Luna story, and my Ron & Padma story (both of which are UP and RUNNING). I would love it if you guys still went ahead and voted for me on thegleeproject website - my user name is chibichichio. =. Note: none of my MAM stories are DH compliant. At all.

Anyway, enjoy the chapter! That last cliffie was a bit much!

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**Eleventh Cycle**

**Hath No Fury**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"I…I-"

No.

The heat exploded out of 'merely uncomfortable' into 'painful'. I was horrified. I was completely and totally horrified. I'd turned to see an extremely infuriated pale-turning-quickly-pink Malfoy glowering above me – with my arm in a grip that threatened bruises and a face that promised retribution. This was not happening. This was not happening. I was in an alternate reality that had allowed for nightmares to come to life. I was not actually staring down the man I loathed while he looked back like the feeling was mutual.

No, no, no. This was not happening.

"So sorry to interrupt this little love fest, but would you mind explaining to me what in the seven hells is going on here?"

His nails bit into my arm. I feel as if I stared and stared and stared because I certainly didn't have an answer for him. The heat revved itself up like a Muggle engine and pain licked up the sides of my head. Realization kicked me in the face – it wasn't the _club_ or the packed bodies. It was him, all this fire in my brain, all this heat was in fact a dangerous anger that I didn't think I had even begun to feel.

_This is really happening._

I knew what it looked like. I knew for myself that I hadn't planned on and would never actually do anything that might purposely cause him excruciating and lasting pain. But the heat that I had felt was radiating off of him was hurting me.

He yanked me, hard, into his body like he was going to begin squeezing me to death. It looked like he thought better of that before he shook me.

"And why are you dressed like this in public? "

I bristled.

"What are you talking about?" I tried to shake off the grip that Malfoy had on my upper arms but it was immovable. "Dressed like what? And there's nothing going on here so if you don't remove your hands from me in a moment, I'm going to make sure you can never do so again."

He snarled.

He actually physically snarled at me.

And the bond, which is what I was beginning to understand this was, reflected his emotions right back. The heat whipped and crackled.

"Like a whore plying her trade to the general public," he said angrily, shaking me again. "As if your name isn't connected to one of the oldest wizarding lines in the country."

_Like…_ I blinked, stared at him, blinked again. _Whore?_

_A whore?_

"And not only are you dressed like one, you do a grand impression of one," he continued.

He began to drag me through the crowd, making a scene as he violently shoved many people out of the way to get to his desired destination. I was so shocked, so bloody well shocked, that I could only stare at him as a strange feeling filled my chest. It took me a moment to recognize it as rage.

"Don't speak to her like that."

A large hand had enveloped my free one, gentle in comparison to Malfoy.

I turned.

Robert Callahan was now holding on to me as well.

Professor Trelawney might call me entirely blind in matters of the third eye but I swear to you that I had a vision of bloodshed. I hadn't the faintest idea who might come out the victor (and heaven knows that I wanted Malfoy to be the one to bleed) but I had no idea where Ginny was, couldn't get to my wand, and had no desire to cause a scene. I cleared my throat-

"Release her hand," the blond said softly. "Immediately."

Robert visibly bristled. I butted in while Malfoy's anger all but fried my brain through the bond.

"Malfoy, don't-"

"Not before you do the same," Robert growled right back.

The tension in the air shot up and the people who had been violently dancing around us started to take notice. Rob and Malfoy both seemed to forget about me and stepped closer to each other, looking one another up and down. I was still clamped in two grips – Robert and Malfoy didn't look like they were letting go of me anytime soon but they didn't look like they were backing down from the pending fight either.

"Malfoy," I hissed, "let go of my arm. I will not ask you again."

Never let it be said stubbornness is not a trait of the Pureblood wizard. Malfoy was apparently deaf to all my threats. His eyes never left Robert's, he didn't so much as _blink_ in my direction to signify that he had heard me.

"Do you know this guy?" Robert's question was directed at me but his eyes were sizing up Malfoy, whose height mirrored his own down to the inch. "The lady set let go."

"She's not going anywhere."

God, the heat...my head...my voice came out with a little less force when I spoke again.

"Yes, he's-"

"I would hope so," Malfoy interrupted again. "I'm her fiancée."

My eyes snapped over to the pale face.

So it was only convenient to claim me in the presence of men? Was he just telling lies at this point or did he not understand that he actually had to propose to be considered a future husband? After he'd said- he'd actually _implied_ – that he wouldn't be forced to be with me by any means?

After storming off at the park, thrusting me into meeting his mother, intimating that if he were inclined to sexual violence he would have to be forced to be with me, after calling me a _whore_, he wanted to blithely – blithely! – claim me as his betrothed?

"He's your what?" Robert had finally peeled his gaze off of Draco and looked over at me with those dark green eyes of his.

"He's not my fiancée," I said faintly. "He's nothing to me."

"What's going on here?"

_Thank God._

Ginny's voice had never sounded sweeter. With a sigh of relief I turned to Ginny who was making her way through the crowd and had pushed her way through the circle of onlookers that now surrounded Malfoy, Robert and I. Whatever shock she felt when she saw Malfoy was expertly hidden and her gaze focused on the pale hand that gripped my upper arm. Immediately, the blue eyes were narrowed.

"The both of you need to let go of her."

Robert's grip loosened, lowered, until his fingers were touching mine - as if he couldn't be completely sure that Malfoy wouldn't toss me over his shoulders and run off into the night. Malfoy's grip never loosened.

Ginny's mouth moved, and Malfoy withdrew his hands with a hiss.

"I wasn't going to ask again," Ginny said loudly and wrapped an arm around me, "and you are apparently hard of hearing."

Malfoy took a step towards her that screamed 'danger' but Robert, good man that he was, immediately headed him off. He was dead serious, and impressively deadly with it.

"Touch either of them and I'll lay you out." He closed the gap between himself and Malfoy, got so close that I gasped. Silence, except for the throbbing beating music, was spreading outward slowly but surely and the crowd was stopping to watch. "Talk to either of them and I will lay you out. I don't know who you think you are or where you come from, but that is not how you treat women. Much less the woman you're involved with, or her friends."

The heat in my head had lowered to manageable levels yet it was almost worse, like a low-key blaze that would burst into a razing fire if I looked away for any length of time. I didn't dare open my eyes as Gin ran hands over me, as if she were checking for bruises.

"As touching as your show of concern is," Malfoy's cold voice flickered in and out, "I can speak to my fiancée anyway I fucking want. You have nothing to do with it."

My new-found Divination powers kicked in.

Just in time to see Malfoy deliver a punch that snapped Robert's head like a ball on a string. The Irishman recovered immediately, followed it with an uppercut that looked incredibly painful. This was not good.

This was _really_ not good.

Both Ginny and I were forgotten as the two men began to pull out fists and legs as they really got into it. I looked long enough to see Malfoy pull back a pale fist and smash it full-force into Robert's chiseled cheek. The jeers began as the crowd jostled for prime places to see the fight.

"Bloody hell, wands? The purse, the purse?" The little black bag was still on my shoulders - I dug into it before handing Ginny our wands. "Body-bind?"

"Read my mind," she said grimly. "I'll take Robert. You hit that blond imbecile."

The body bind was instantaneous - their bodies straightened in mid-punch; totally frozen and totally helpless and prone on the ground. I shot up a spark into the air to scare the crowd backwards, to prevent a stampede that would crush the two still men. People roared with disbelief as we stopped anything else from happening and we heard and ignored the screeching and the jeers.

Ginny and I wasted no time in hurrying over to kneel down besides Rob. The left side of his face looked like it was going to be a proud shade of purple under the hour, one of his eyes was swollen shut, and there was smeared blood at the corner of his mouth. I looked over at Gin and sighed.

"You surely know how to pick your friends, Gin," I said. "Honestly.

She released the body-bind and he rolled his shoulder. Robert's face immediately turned dark.

"Who is he?"

Gin sighed.

"Hold still."

She waved her wand once and flicked her wrist before passing it over his face. Robert winced when the blood at his mouth trickled but moved his gaze to my face.

"Who is he?"

"The man I'm being forced to marry."

I fell silent, helped the healing process along. Perhaps the man I was being forced to marry had heard me – my head was going to suddenly explode any minute now.

"A Marriage Law?"

"Thank you for that." I touched his arm carefully, certain that even though he was holding it awkwardly he hadn't broken anything, then pointed a wand at his face. "It won't mend anything that's broken but it'll take care of just about everything else."

"Thanks."

"Please don't mention it," I smiled faintly. "The knight in shining armor bit makes up for it."

I stood, closed my eyes again and concentrated on the bond. There had to be a way to mute all this emotion, or turn it down, or turn it back on him. When I was ready, I walked over to the blond who was equally as wounded.

What right did he have to be angry?

For a moment, I had to breathe deeply. It was either that or kick him while he was down.

"Malfoy." I forced my face into a neutral expression. "You will not do anything rash if I release the spell. Blink once if you agree, twice if you don't."

He stared at me balefully.

"You have to promise me that you're not going to do anything rash if I release the spell," I repeated slowly. "Blink once if you agree, blink twice if you don't."

Malfoy blinked twice.

If I were to be truthful, I'd really hoped he would blink once but known otherwise. Outwardly, my face was a mask of calm indifference.

"I'm not going to release this," I said in a calm tone and folded my hands in my lap. "I'm going to keep you on the ground incapacitated. If I must I will sedate you, and send a note to your house to have someone come retrieve you. If you would simply agree to behave, you could be free. There's no point to this."

"Really, Drake. There isn't." An unfamiliar voice rang behind me and I turned around and looked up to see a man all in black standing tall next to my kneeled figure. Handsome in the dimness was a silver glinting ring in his left ear with four others flanking him - one relatively tall one dressed in dark blue, a rather wide one in green, and a rather attractive one another who wore a white tee shirt with a dark green zip up jacket over it. They looked familiar.

_Wait_-

He smiled and bowed from the waist.

"I apologize on his behalf." What was more, he actually sounded like he meant it. "I'm Blaise Zabini – we were in the same Year at Hogwarts and you probably know Crabbe, Goyle and Nott."

Of course. Malfoy's bestmates...he gestured in turn at each of the men who stood with the most perfectly expressionless faces I'd ever seen. I inclined my aching head and he continued.

"We'll take him off your hands."

I dare say I was happy enough to kiss him gratefully.

"That…" I sighed, "that would be most appreciated."

Funnily enough, even Crabbe and Goyle inclined their heads. That I wasn't expecting at all.

When Ginny joined us a moment later, Blaise Zabini bowed again.

"Do you two need assistance getting home?" asked Zabini.

We shook our heads.

"Get home safely then." They inclined their heads politely - _what reality was I living in that they were being...polite?_ - and turned as one with Malfoy floating before them. "We'll release it after you've left."

It was the one saving grace of the night.

"Wasn't he something of a supremacist before?" Ginny asked thoughtfully as we watched him go. "Still good looking as ever though."

"Impeccable manners too," I murmured. "I can't understand why he would call that idiot a friend. What happened to Robert?"

"Apparently, the owners of the club aren't here. Otherwise, they would have broken up that fight. So, that means Robert probably isn't in too much trouble. He's in the back right now, and the owners are being informed about the brawl."

I sighed again, shoved the hair out of my face.

"I'm not sure whether to cry or laugh at this point. My head aches."

She looked interested.

"What happened?"

"The bond," I said wearily. "Anything he feels, you feel."

Her eyebrows shot up.

"You're kidding?" I shook my head as we made our way towards the exit. "Merlin, I am so _so _sorry then. I can't imagine what that would feel like. Need to stop by somewhere and get drugs on the ride home?"

I nodded wearily.

"And you still have that dinner party tomorrow," she rubbed my arm sympathetically. "I can simply sleep over tonight and help you cook tomorrow. We can get Luna to come early and make drinks since she can't possibly ruin those."

Good God, I had almost forgotten about that. I have no idea what my face must have looked like but it must have showed.

She smiled.

"Don't worry about a thing, 'Mione. Drugs, sleep-over, me cooking." She hailed the cab with a smile. "I've got everything under control."

**oo**

"Oi mate! Pass me the butterbeer on your left!" Ron nudged Neville with his elbow while indicating the tall clear glass of frothy yellow butterbeer on Neville's left. "Don't hog it all."

I rolled my eyes before snagging a piping hot roll from the serving platter Dean was holding towards me. My luncheon was well underway and everyone was busy fighting over the food or eating it. Ginny had helped me rearrange the living room to make space for the long wooden table that I had pushed up against the fireplace, and my two maroon three-seater couches and single arm-chair were arranged around it.

Dean, casually dressed in jeans and loose black t-shirt, was barely fitting his long and muscular body on one of the couches. There was just no accommodating his size without magic and I'd tried to minimize magic use in this apartment as much possible. Luna must have done something though to make it so the two of them could sit together. They sat with their heads together talking to each other, with smart comments from the Wealsey twins every now and then.

One of the twins said something I couldn't quite catch and Dean and Luna broke apart.

"George, if you don't stop interrupting me…" Dean's handsome face was twisted into a genuine frown presently.

"George! _George!_" shouted an irate freckled red-head on the floor as he pointed at his identical twin brother. "_That's_ George, you blooming idiot! My name is Fred!"

The whole company broke out into laughter as Dean's eyes widened at his mistake and then narrowed again.

"Doesn't matter," he said in a clipped voice. "Just stop interrupting me!"

"Doesn't…_doesn't matter?_"

I ignored the brawl that was beginning as I continued to observe my party from afar.

Harry was sprawled out on my floor with the twins, while Ron and Neville stretched out languidly on a different couch across from Dean and Luna. Neville floated the butterbeer over to Ron before laughing at a joke that Harry told all the boys. The mini-drama that Fred was acting out seemed to be entertaining the lot of them.

"I'm a person, Dean!" Fred was still going on about the mistake. He raised his hands in an overly dramatic gesture then clapped both over the middle of his chest.

"I'm a person with feelings, and _you_-"

"Oh, get over yourself, mate!" Ron rolled his eyes as I attempted not to do the same. My attention drifted off as I continued to observe. Dean and Luna had become re-engaged in conversation since Dean had pointedly chosen to ignore Fred.

Ginny appeared by my side, holding a mug of tea.

"I would have _never_ put those two together," I murmured over my own mug. "It's so odd."

"You wouldn't have put yourself and _Malfoy_ together, would you?" Ginny took a sip of her own orange soda as well as we both spared a wondering glance over at the two in question.

"But Dean and Luna?" I asked.

I continued to stare at the couple in a sort of bemused and confused way. Knowing them individually but seeing them _together_ but knowing that they were together, was an odd feeling. And it was because I would never have put them together as a couple in my life. The Ministry was definitely taking chances with this affair.

"I know," Ginny agreed with a nod and we turned to each other again. "Knowing those two, I wouldn't have imagined that at all. But if they are really destined for each other, they've known about the other all along."

"I suppose," I shrugged.

I'd known _him_ all along and it didn't help anything in the least. In fact, a history of hatred was making anything new remarkably impossible. I couldn't understand how the government could have twisted my life, all our lives, and made it binding enough to create mental _bonds._

Bonds.

I didn't want to be bonded to him, for any reason. I didn't want any of this.

"You _really_ aren't much of a romantic, are you?"

Ginny was unaware of all my inner turmoil.

"Oh, don't misunderstand me," I tilted my head with a knowing look. "Every girl has a bit of a romantic in her and I might just have my moments. What girl doesn't want romance? But I know myself – and I know him."

"It'll work out with Dean and Luna in the end though," Ginny said as she took another sip and then reached a hand up to feel if the white clips she had used to pin either side of her hair back were still in place.

I hoped so, because I would hate to see two of my best friends depressed over _each other_.

"But Neville and Cho is also another ridiculous couple set up," I said changing the cup.

"You know," Ginny said lowering her cup a bit and looking thoughtful though maintaining eye contact. "It's not that I don't think much of Cho because she definitely protected her family in the best way she knew how during the War and almost all of the Changs came out intact…It's that she seemed to be a little emotionally unbalanced when we were still at ole' Hogwarts and I still think that that unbalance is there…"

"And you don't want to see Neville get hurt."

Neville hadn't said too much about his affairs with Cho but we all got the feeling that it wasn't going well at _all_. Neville was so much more introverted than before the War but he was still one of the most sweet-natured and honestly good people I knew. I hadn't really ever heard him insult anyone besides Professor Snape and that was way back when. I felt like if Neville needed our help with her, he would wait until the last possible minute to get it just because he was a pretty private person.

"The boys will know more about it than we do."

"They will…they probably already do. Speaking of which, I have yet to talk to Ron about him and Padma. What's been going on?"

"Actually," Ginny said with a strange incredulous look on her face. "It's going…well. I can't believe that idiot hasn't messed up yet."

"Have you seen her yet?"

Ginny shook her head. "Not as yet but she's scheduled to come over to the Burrow tomorrow to meet Mum and Dad."

My eyes widened as I looked at Ginny in surprise.

"Really? That's good!"

"I know," Ginny agreed with me. From the couches a loud burst of laughter arose as Fred and George teamed up to tackle Dean on the couch. Luna nimbly floated out of attacking range and wondered over to Neville. They smiled at each other and rolled their eyes before striking up a new conversation.

"I have so much to do although I've covered my entire set of Healing books in between all the busy-body-ness of the last four days. But I still have to do it again-"

Just then, I heard the clicking of nails on the window - owl mail. The party paused momentarily before starting up again as Ginny and I made our way to the other side of the room to get it. I waved them onwards, the conversations restarted.

It was his owl.

"Malfoy?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," I replied with a touch of grimness. _What does that prick want now?_

Clearly, his creature didn't like me any better than I liked him. It dropped the letter promptly and wheeled back into the sky. I split it open.

**Granger,**

**Your presence is desired tomorrow afternoon at Malfoy Manor around four thirty o'clock. Dress appropriately.**

**D.M.**

I stared.

And then flipped the parchment over to see if anything else was written because, surely, this couldn't be all.

No apology.

No acknowledgment of the night before.

No mention of his incredibly poor behavior.

No 'please', no courtesy, nothing.

I reread it and rage curled in my chest.

"Read it," I snarled and shoved at Ginny. "The nerve!"

Her face darkened.

"Is this his mother requesting your presence or is it him?"

I shook, curled my fists.

"I will go regardless."

She snorted, balled the note up and handed it back to me.

"What does he mean 'dress appropriately'?" She shook her head again. "Do the very opposite. I'll help you get ready tomorrow."

"You alright, 'Mione?" I looked over to see Harry frowning up at me. "What is it?"

"Nothing," I said through gritted teeth. "Nothing at all."

_Dress appropriately, _I thought coldly to myself. _We'll just see about that._


	12. The Right of Way

Author's Note - Updated November 18th 2011.  
A treat for you all –** two updates in a week! **This is more feedback than I'd gotten on the previous version of this chapter. I am really quite surprised! A lot of you pointed out that Hermione is acting the part of Lavender and that it's like watching a character regress from age 20 to age 2. This… _is true! _A lot of these stories make Draco the bad guy off the bat but I believe Hermione is human and prone to small acts of pettiness too despite her giant heart. After this chapter, the updates will double in size. I know some of you have a problem with such big chunks of chapter but they should keep you occupied until I can update again. Also, my sincere gratitude to older fans for sticking with the new version of the story though I've changed some key lines (regina, this is for you!).

In other news, I'm a college kid and I hate my neighbors! They throw loud throbbing parties almost every night. You can thank them and my horrible sore throat for the quick update since I _can't sleep_!

Remember that Dean and Luna's story is already completed, and that Ron and Padma's story has just begun so check those two couples out. There's discrepancies (cellphone usage vs Plunko's for instance) that I haven't gotten around to fixing. Note: none of my MAM stories are DH compliant. At all.

Enjoy, please!

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**Twelfth Cycle**

**The Right of Way**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"I don't care if I said that before," I said calmly while examining my short nails thoroughly. "I wasn't going to sit there and watch her with that ugly bastard. And I dare say you would be _much_ more inclined to agree with me had that been Pansy Parkinson."

I heard him sigh.

"But we're not talking about Pansy and I. We're talking about you and Miss Granger."

Why Zabini couldn't just agree with me, as most best mates would, was beyond me. Why he thought it a good idea to try and lecture me about this while he had a pile of legal looking documents from his law firm to review and edit I couldn't understand. Why he wouldn't just allow me to rant in his home and egg me on, I couldn't tell you. I was beginning to regret having come over to the bloke's house in the first place.

I was right.

I knew I was right.

I knew what I'd said to her before the slap had been wrong – dead wrong. It was something the old Draco might have said back in Hogwarts but it wasn't something that should have ever left my house. I knew I should have apologized for it but the next time I saw her, she'd been on the _floor_ with that man just _wrapped around her_ like a Christmas ornament on a tree!

All good intentions – _poof! _– gone.

And he wanted to lecture me on my behavior.

_No. I'm right._

"Drake," he said. I rolled my eyes without once responding to that deep voice of his. "Your behavior was understandable but she's within her rights to never see you again. You've insulted her more than once now. And not your usual run-of-the-mill insults but some serious stuff. If you had a sister, would anything you've called her in the last ten years ever be forgotten? Wouldn't you hold a _grudge_?"

I would.

He knew this.

_I_ knew this.

"That's why you're not justified, mate! No matter how badly she treats you, I don't know if you have the right to say anything about it just now." I looked up, saw Blaise run his hands through his hair. "Not only that but Hermione Granger is supposed to be a perfect Goody-Two-Shoes. I don't know if she's capable of breaking rules, despite her hatred for you _and _despite what we saw last night. What do you want from her?"

Perfect obedience. Was that too much to ask?

"Look, mate." I folded my arms across my chest as I glared at Blaise down on the floor. "I cannot take everything I did back. I can't. I don't even know how willing she would be to accept it. How am I supposed to do anything, say anything to her, _be_ anything for her if we're not on even footing?"

Blaise's shrug was eloquent in its silence.

"You know," he said in a flat monotone that didn't show a jot of emotion either way. "You can continue to be an ass when you take her out to dinner, and keep having to hear how little she thinks of you or you can handle it maturely. You're not going to be on even footing, mate, not for a little while. But either way, it'll be _your_ problem to deal with. Not anyone else's. So you figure it out."

I watched him stand to his feet and stretched out his arms behind and over his head.

_I'm not overly rude to her all the time, _I thought_. I'm not wrong here…this time._

But I'd been wrong for years and, suddenly, that mattered.

The dinner tonight loomed large with pitfalls that I hadn't seen before. Yes, I'd sent her that note to get her here but I hadn't thought past her actually…getting here. According to Blaise, I had to take everything she chose to dish out and keep quiet about it?

_Is everyone forgetting exactly who had been skin to skin with someone other than their betrothed?_

I thought back to all the other times that I had ever been so amazingly, overwhelmingly angry. There weren't many such occurrences. All of them had involved the Dark Lord to some extent but that was different. There was no other frame of reference to compare to the rush of jealousy (as much as I hate to admit it but it really _was_ jealousy) that crashed down on me, drowning out everything but her.

"Draco." I looked up with that frown still in place on my face; and inclined my head to the left. "Ten minutes of silence, as blessed as it is, is time you could be using to get home so I can finish my work."

"Giving me the boot?"

Blaise's olive tanned handsome face was sour with a look of irritation. Apparently, I had been a little too much for him today. But it was never this easy to rile him.

"Sorry, mate. I'll get going. Anything going on with you and Parkinson?"

"Nothing," he replied shortly.

Which was code for 'yes'. I just raised an eyebrow in silence and looked around for my shoes. It would be difficult to drag the information out of him at best, and with only an hour until dinner

"Certain?"

He didn't bother answering. I shook my head and dragged myself off of that green armchair then walked over to the fireplace, tossed in some Floo powder, and turned one more time to look at my best mate. He glared.

"Plunko's after?" I asked. "I can never get my dratted new-age phone to work but I'll try that as well. You are going to tell me what's wrong eventually."

"Get on already!"

I waved my hand, before saying the magic words that would take me back to my place.

"Malfoy Manor, please."

**oo**

A quick bath, crisp starch white shirt, dark grey suit– jacket left open and pant legs extending all the way down to the floor. A pair of white cufflinks and my black dragon-hide boots to finish off my look.

"Draco Malfoy." I examined myself thoroughly in the mirror – call it pride, call it vanity, call it jealousy, but I simply couldn't have more guys looking at _her _than girls looking at _me_. "You're one sexy beast, mate. She needs to be grateful that her Irish boy toy didn't leave any lasting damage."

I smirked before giving myself a final once over and looking at the time.

4:25.

_She should be here any minute._

"Master Malfoy." I turned to see my favorite houself, Cranky, had appeared on the marble floor of the bathroom. Cranky was one of the few houselves with a sense of humor and he had come to the household after father had died in the War. I stood expectantly

"Mistress Granger has arrived. She and Lady Malfoy are presently down in the Silverlight Parlor."

I inclined my head in thanks, and Cranky disappeared without so much as _poof_ of displaced air. I ran my hands through my hair, slicked it back skillfully, then got myself to the door. I strolled down the stairs, taking my time and just giving myself a pep talk for the evening to come. Now that Granger was here, I didn't feel as cocky as before but it would do me no good to back out of this venture now.

_All right,_ I thought to myself as I hit the first set of staircases that would take me downstairs. _Chill. Relax. Calm down. Breathe. Think before you open your mouth. NO more insults – control._

I hit the second set of staircases and was surprised when something in my head hummed in response. The bond – telling me she was here – didn't give me any information on how she felt. Perhaps she'd already learned how to negate its effects, to turn it down, to block me.

Since she was 'the smartest witch of our age', I wouldn't be surprised.

The evening was going to go well. She was going to apologize, and then I would gracefully – _gracefully _– accept her apology and offer her one in return. As long as she'd see the error of her ways, we would be absolutely fine.

Just fine.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

"You look-"

Ginny and Luna tilted their heads simultaneously, in a move that looked disconcerting and coordinated. Draco Malfoy had wanted dinner with an appropriately dressed Hermione Granger, hadn't he? I was appropriately dressed in my very sleekest ankle-length black dress. Which Gin had altered to make skin-tight, and Luna had deepened the bodice.

He'd wanted appropriate? He was going to get it.

They looked at each other then Ginny made a motion for me to turn around.

"Well, 'appropriate' is not the word that comes to mind," the redhead observed lightly. "So mission accomplished."

"She would look queenly if it wasn't for how the dress fits her like a glove," Luna said. "Why couldn't you have dressed me up in this instead? It at least covers you."

I laughed at her. What she was calling a disaster yesterday with Dean, we were calling fate. There was absolutely no doubt in my mind that he'd kissed her senseless during the party, no matter what she'd tried to tell us, and where I'd looked sultry, she'd looked innocently sexy. Add a Dean who'd barged in to ask a question about food, a little bit of embarrassment, and me and Gin pulling a disappearing act?

I'd bet my _entire_ house that he'd snogged her just short of fainting.

"Don't think we don't know what happened when we left but never mind that, for now," I twirled again on my bathroom floor in manageable black heels. "Color change or no?"

"I have half a mind to change it to scarlet," Luna murmured ruefully.

"Payback?"

"Nothing as simple as that."

She smiled and let Gin step in front of her.

"Yes." Ginny rubbed her hands together then flitted out of the room only to return with all her stuff and Luna's things. "_Yes. _Because that's exactly the look we're going for, isn't it? Except it would be overkill. Maybe a dark gold?

She snapped her fingers and the dress changed from deepest black to this really pretty burnt golden color. I hummed and looked in the mirror. It looked like I'd been thinking more about the color than the tight-as-a-glove quality when I'd worn it.

"Very pretty," I remarked. "And even more subtle than the black."

"It's almost time. You have to go."

"I do!" I pulled a simple black cloak on, swept it around myself. "It is 4:15 and I want to throw him off his balance."

"Luna?"

"Preparation for publishing this month – I'm going straight to the printers." She took her things from Gin's arms and blinked. "The phone hasn't been working as well but do try to call. I'm sure service will be better elsewhere."

"I'm only going home," Gin offered. "But I don't need anything and we can set up the wards and use the spare key to lock up if you want to go now."

They read my mind.

"Thank you!" I said gratefully, already running towards the door. "Simple wards, keep the keys."

"Hermione?"

At the doorway I looked back. They were smiling again. Ginny saluted while Luna opened her mouth.

"Though these are entirely Gin's words…" she began, "I'll say them anyway. Give him hell."

_Oh, yes._

That was certainly the plan.

**oo**

He casually strolled into the room and it was hard for me to do anything but stare.

_Oh...oh my._

His silvery blond hair gleamed in the light, as if the added sheen from water wasn't overkill in hair that naturally shimmered like moonlight. It fell sideways across his face in the front, almost carelessly, and obscured an entire side of his face. The gray-blue eyes were half-lidded – odd, since I'd never known Malfoy to look anything but completely awake and aware around me. When he smiled, the eyes managed to look warm.

I realized he was smiling at his Mother, not me, and nearly rolled my eyes.

Still, Draco Malfoy couldn't be called unattractive by any stretch of the word.

"Hello, darling," said Narcissa Malfoy at my side. He held the hand she extended, and brought her to her feet. "I was just keeping her company."

I schooled my face into blankness. He inclined his head in the most ordinary, I'm-a-rich-snob-who-hates-it-when-Granger-dances kind of way – those gray blue eyes that leant more toward blue looking straight at me. For a moment, his eyes went impossibly wide but his facial expression smoothed moments later.

My sense of satisfaction knew no bounds.

"Good evening," I said pleasantly.

He narrowed his eyes fractionally then his expression smoothed out again before he cordially extended his arm out to me on the couch.

I stared at him.

He stared at me.

This was clearly a challenge.

I hoped to high heaven that my next smile appeared genuine at the very least. I feared it had a bit too much teeth and a good deal of suspicion to be gauged real. Still, I linked arms with Malfoy in such a way that we were not even touching and straightened my back.

"Hermione, it was lovely talking to you again. I hope to see more of you around here," she said with a small smile.

_I know a command when I hear one,_ I thought without wincing.

"It was my pleasure really. I'd love to talk to you at anytime at all." I turned to smile up at Malfoy. "Simply let him know when would be a good time for me to drop by."

I had the pleasure of seeing him look faintly surprised. His Mum didn't notice, just air kissed my cheek and patted his shoulders.

"Be sure to enjoy yourselves, my dear."

Enjoy?

The word was incorrect. I was going to _delight_ in making Malfoy as uncomfortable as possible tonight.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

The minute I had walked into that room, I had done my best to tamp my feelings down as well as keep my eyes off of Granger just in case she was going to be too much for me to look at. I had glanced at her as I greeted her, meeting those intense honey-brown eyes and then noticed what she wearing. From that point on, I stopped looking. Now, the restaurant (D'Amère was the name and it was legally owned by Malfoy) was softly lighted and the unusually high ceiling lit with bright chandeliers. The table that we sat at was a round one, with a dark wine-colored tablecloth and set for two with dark red dishes and matching cloth napkins to keep clean with. Unscented candles could be found burning on the elaborate dark wood of ledges, lighting the way for lovers.

This was the last time I'd let Mother make the dinner reservations.

The warm air was filled with the gentle humming of the noise of women's voices and men's low grumbles as well as the high tinkling of forks and spoons hitting plates and wine glasses bumping against each other. It was relaxed and low-key…everywhere but at our table.

_Granger…_

I was careful not to glance at her, even now, and I could sense her head turned the other way – just observing the many others in the restaurant.

That gotdamned dress was a problem.

I'd said 'appropriately'.

How, covered from shoulder to ankles, had she managed to somehow defy that?

Granger hadn't pulled out all the stops like she had last night, but she would still grab attention with that slinky knee-length dress of hers. And she'd tamed the Christmas tree that usually passed for hair. I'd been more annoyed than words could say when heads had turned in the restaurant.

The whispers weren't long in coming either.

I continued to look around the restaurant in the uncomfortable silence that stretched from table ledge to table ledge. This was going to kill me with boredom. Kill me. She honestly hadn't said a word once we'd left the house – not a reprimand, not a trite question, not a thing. I tentatively felt for her awareness inside my head – it appeared that she was thoroughly absorbed with examining the restaurant. Didn't she know she was supposed to apologize?

_This is not going the way I planned. _

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

The restaurant was truly scenic, softly lighted with candles her and there providing a romantic touch. It underlined our problem - I was stuck with this ferret who hadn't glanced at me with the exception of the very first look this afternoon. I tilted my head back then swung it around to see as much of the white walls of the restaurant as I could see.

In another part of my mind that wasn't absorbed with observing, I wasn't really worrying about last night since he hadn't brought it up immediately. In fact, Malfoy was being very quiet which was quite unusual for someone who spoke out of turn all the time. I briefly wondered if something was wrong with him, then quickly dismissed the idea as I continued to look around.

_Wow…_

I noticed a gorgeous watercolor of a Spanish fleet in the most vivid dark blues and heavy browns-

"So, Granger."

Automatically, my attention gage came on and I slowly turned my head to look right at him. An arm was slung over the chair behind me and his legs were relatively spread wide with one ankle crossed over a knee. To my surprise, he was looking right back.

"Yes?" I asked without an edge.

If he wanted to talk, I would be perfectly fine. As long as he stayed away from bossing me around too much, he would be good for a long time.

"How are Healer studies going?" There was a very faint smirk on his face that I wasn't sure I liked the look of. "It seems that they must be going well if you're getting out at all."

I blinked.

I never even felt the urge to get angry – it was true that I was coming out of my box. Anyone friends with Gin would have to, eventually. Instead, I arched an eyebrow and then leaned back and crossed my hands over my chest in a complacent sort of way.

"I was counting the seconds down until you mentioned last night."

He immediately bristled and he moved from his relaxed pose with an arm thrown over the chair to one in which he sat up much straighter and turned himself almost fully toward me. I could see some semblance of anger start to flare back up in those strange gray- blue eyes of his. A similar simmering was felt in my head – indeed, it seemed as if the mere memory of last night was enough to get him boiled again!

"Look Granger," he began. "You-

"Oh please Malfoy," I waved a careless hand before he could get a word out. "Let's not pretend here. You didn't come to that place just to have a drink and chat with your friends. You were there to have a good time too."

What came out of his mouth was an unintelligible murmur.

"What was that, Malfoy?"

"That's no _excuse_ for you dancing with that oaf," he said in a low voice, leaning toward me. The anger was definitely coming back, what with those narrowed eyes and the way his voice came out in a growl. "It doesn't excuse the way you were dressed, the way you carried yourself, what you _did_."

"And none of that is any excuse for hitting Robert."

I had much more to say in response to that but the key was to give him the least amount of attention as possible. It worked – heat came streaming through the bond and I immediately struggled to lock it out.

"Robert?" he snarled. His tone morphed entirely into one of angry disbelief and the volume was scaling up the charts. I looked around and saw that the couples close to us were actually starting to stare. "Robert! _Robert?_ You know his name?"

All that pale skin was tinged with pink. I stared at him, slightly surprised.

"Malfoy, calm down! We're in a restaurant for Merlin's sake."

He reached across the table, snatched my wrist in a tight grip that was too much like the last time he'd touched me.

"You know his name."

"Of course I know his name!" I spit at him. "Don't try and switch the subject – you came to that club for the exact same reason I did."

"And what would that be?" That signature Malfoy sneer seemed to be sliding back unto his pale face as I watched. His grip never changed, he just yanked me closer. "Whoring myself out to the general public?"

"You might have done that at Hogwarts if it weren't for Pansy's hold on you. Whatever the case, you can call me a whore all you want but _I_ know I'm not one. I have never been someone of loose character, never been able to do anything that I couldn't fully justify. Why would I start now?"

I snatched my hand back, rubbed my wrist and spoke again.

"Regardless of what you _think_ you know of me, I cannot live with a muddy conscience. No matter how much I might like to, no matter what it looked like, I wouldn't do that. I can't go out of my way to hurt you when I know _exactly_ what the bond would do to you." I shook my head, stared at him coldly. "Not because I would feel it too but because it's just…it's wrong. It's simply wrong. I wouldn't do that to you, to _anyone_."

He looked completely shocked and it made me laugh bitterly.

"And you care about this why, exactly? What was it you said about me?" I shot at him while pulling a mockingly thoughtful look unto my face. I tapped my index finger against my cheek and wrinkled my eyebrows into an exaggerated furrow, looking far off into the distance as if entertaining really deep thoughts. "If I remember correctly, it was something along the lines of 'why would anyone in their right mind want to rape _you_?'"

I mimicked his voice almost perfectly, getting the cruel leer and the lazy drawl down almost exactly.

"And how about 'Even with a paper bag over your bushy head and tape over that filthy mouth, I wouldn't go near you for the world's supply of money'?"

His mouth was slightly ajar and he had a disturbed look on his face, almost bordering on disbelief. His arms hung limp on his lap and he was just staring at me.

All the fight…gone. It had left him suddenly.

_As if he would ever be **sorry** for anything he said – especially if it was an insult that cut **me **deep._

He didn't believe me but he'd spat the nickname Know-It-All in my face as if he did. I didn't want this, any of it. My eyes filled as I experienced a weird sense of déjà vu. This (the fighting, the yelling, his hand squeezing mine tightly) good God, this was all I had to look forward to.

_This is such a waste of time._

I blinked rapidly to fight back the tears and reached for my purse, pulled the straps slowly and methodically over my shoulders.

"I thank you for the wonderful time and amazing entertainment that you always seem to provide, Malfoy."

I inclined my head most formally then turned on my heels and walked away.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

I sat there in stunned silence for maybe ten minutes after Granger walked away.

Why?

I sat staring down at the red tabletop at the fancy restaurant that I had invited Granger too for no reason whatsoever. I hadn't had a point when I invited her. I hadn't had a point when I got angry that she knew that idiot-from-the-club's name. I didn't know why I did the things that I did.

_Why do I talk to her that way?_ I couldn't help it. She was there and she was capable and she could take it because she was tough. And I'd made such a habit of it before and she'd refused to accept my courtesy as truth so I'd reverted back. _Why?_

Holy Merlin, her eyes had filled.

I'd thought I was going to have to put a hand to my chest to control my heart when her eyes had filled with tears. She'd unleashed holy hell in my head at the same time - I'd felt this overwhelming melancholy just _drip_ through the bond at the exact same moment that she'd reached for her purse. It was a double blow that tipped the odds in her favor. Then she'd taken that shaky breath and said what she'd had to say and I hadn't known what to do without making an ass of myself or making her feel worse. Now she was gone and I was at a loss. An uncomfortable feeling was filling my chest – I felt unbearably guilty. I didn't know if it was because we were bonded now or whether I'd never really been able to handle a crying female but I felt like dirt. I couldn't remember ever feeling this sorry or every wanting to apologize to someone like this.

It was irrational. It was foolish. I didn't like the way it felt. But I had to do something otherwise Granger and I would be like this with each other for the rest of our lives.

Blaise was right.

I just didn't what in the seven hells I was supposed to do about it.


	13. Café Anushka

Author's Note - Updated November 23rd 2011.

Happy Thanksgiving! You can expect another update before the weekend is over - I'm moving fast before finals set it and I disappear into the ether again. After this chapter, the updates are starting to climb their way up in size. I know some of you have a problem with such big chunks of chapter but they should keep you occupied until I can update again. Also, my sincere gratitude to older fans for sticking with the new version of the story though I've changed some key lines. Remember that Dean and Luna's story is already completed, and that Ron and Padma's story has just begun so check those two couples out. There are discrepancies (cellphone usage vs Plunko's for instance) that I haven't gotten around to fixing. Note: none of my MAM stories are DH compliant. At all.

Happy reading! Happy Holidays!

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**Thirteenth Cycle**

**Café Anushka **

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"I know Mum," I said bravely. "It doesn't matter to me. I'm tired of trying."

"Honey, you can't be this tired after only a few weeks. What are you supposed to do for the rest of your years then?"

"I don't know – it'll give me time to study, at least," I joked.

"I'm not sure I find that funny."

I sighed since it was true.

After that dismal and pointless flop of a meeting at that restaurant, I had lain low for a couple of days and just focused on recollecting myself and resuming studying for the Healer examinations that would take place in a month and half. Since hearing the news that I now had a destined fiancée of some sort, I had severely slacked off in my studies and now I was making up for it by socializing minimally and studying more than 10 hours a day with a 45 minute break somewhere in there. Gin and Dean complained, Harry and Ron merely shrugged their shoulders. Luna, in the way she did everything, sent me absent-minded notes when she could and sweets when she couldn't. Neville, poor man, was equally as busy at work.

Something big was happening again at the Ministry.

I felt too unprepared to go digging around in his business but if I wanted to find a way around this thing, I had to make time. I hadn't done enough, studied enough, and certainly _slept_ too much in the last month. I was still in awe that it was already the end of June and it seemed as if the summer was just speeding up on me. And I'd been wasting all that time with Draco Malfoy that I should have been using to prepare myself for the next stage in my life.

_An entire four weeks…_

I shook my head and remembered Mum, who was still patiently waiting for a response

"I'll call you tomorrow morning before work, alright? I love you, Mum."

"Bye, sweetheart."

Two of my heaviest volumes of Healer magic were open on my personal study desk. I was a little tired, and I had been tired lately. I knew why-

-a lack of talking to Malfoy and the strain of the intense regiment I had started putting myself through.

It didn't matter – I would put off seeing Malfoy for as long as my body would allow me. We hadn't spoken in over three days. I'd like to believe that it was because the insufferable man was miserable without me (I didn't think that was true somehow) or that he was too busy pining my ultimate loss to face me. The bond became less and less active the more time I spent away from him.

It was proof that we'd never been close to begin with.

Studying was a good way to distract myself from this odd need to Apparate to Malfoy Manor. Mechanically, I knew that the lessened activity of the bond was probably related to this automatic increased desire to be near him. It was horrible, to know that even though I utterly loathed him, I still _needed _him.

_Determination is the key, _I thought to myself. _With it, I'll find a way to overcome this too._

Luna had been seeing Hannah Abbott of late, who was supposed to be with Theodore Nott. She'd been very reticent on the details of that girl's engagement but I'd been far too busy to find out myself. I'd been in contact with the Ministry for further details of the Marriage Law.

What spells had they used to bind us? How layered, how complex, how many reinforcement spells and were all relayed through the letters they'd sent us or some other way? How had they managed to restrict an entire population of people without even having all of them in the country at the same _time? _

I thought of Charlie, who'd gotten back for the summons, and of Neville who'd returned later. It had to be the letter.

And there had to be some way around it.

The official letter from the Ministry read something like this – 

_In time, the magic will have done its job. The restrictions will no longer be quite as immediate or the repercussions of going days without seeing your betrothed quite as serious. This is why the bond necessitates such proximity. Proximity will eventually lead to closeness and closeness will enhance – not fight – the bond._

So they meant us to tolerate our chosen person by force. Leaning back with my head tilted and eyes temporarily trained toward the ceiling, I'd just set my mind to the problem when I heard the unfamiliar sound of my front doorbell ringing. 'Unfamiliar' because my best friends always Apparated or Floo'd here with a spare key. And I always picked up my parents from their house 40 minutes north of here, so it couldn't be them.

_Who?_

I'm not the sort of person who enjoys a surprise. I like to know what is happening well in advance.

The doorbell chimed again.

When I got to the front door as the doorbell began to ring a third time.

"Goodness," I muttered under my breath before wrenching the door open. "They're impatient."

I yanked the door open. My mind flamed. My mouth fell open. For there, standing on my front step with his hands in his pockets and a smirk on his face was none other than Draco Malfoy.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

She opened the door, wearing these tiny gray shorts and a white long-sleeve tee and her hair looking like it had refused a taming session today. My heart beat out of pattern in my chest. I hadn't expected her to really be at the house. In fact, I had sort of been hoping that she wouldn't be but then the bond had burst to life as I concentrated on it.

The magic made it impossible to keep still in the four days since we'd spoken. The Ministry's regulations were still in place regarding how frequently betrothed couples needed to meet, and it was truly tiring to stay away from Granger. I was a little more fatigued every morning I awoke. I was a little more unbalanced when I went to sleep. Regardless, her last speech had made it damned impossible to do anything other than think about her.

I didn't want to stay this way and I was willing to bet she didn't either.

So here was my first step on the path to redemption. I'd asked Mother to find out where the girl lived and then found a small café that was close to her house in the suburbs. I had to admit the place was a _significantly_ smaller than I'd thought a small house could be. Merlin, to think I'd called the Burrow a hovel! I instinctively knew it was something I shouldn't blurt out to her since she was staring at me as if I were the Devil incarnate.

In the space of three seconds it went from slightly irritated to confused then just plain surprised – her mouth almost dropped open, and I could have laughed at that look but chose not, since I had come here to make some sort of an attempt at reconciliation. She stared and stared and stared.

"Thank you for the adoration, Granger." I smirked as I looked at her face, which was still surprised but giving way to a veiled disdain. "It's lovely to know that I still have the looks."

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?"

She sounded cautious and on her guard, as if expecting bad news. It wasn't a tone that I liked to hear all that much.

"I actually came to help you and myself."

I leant against the poster frame of the porch. I stuck my hands into my pants pockets absently as I looked right into her eyes.

"I'm here to take you out to lunch so that we can get some energy back as well as try and make up for that horrendous event a couple of nights ago."

She still stood there, wary and cautious, and in utter silence.

"It's really for your own good, Granger." I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly. "We're both going to get exhausted fairly easily if this keeps up."

"Horrendous for you or me?" she interrupted.

I gazed at her, weighed my options and remembered that she was Gryffindor and might appreciate truth.

"Both of us."

Her facial expression didn't change a jot.

"I'm studying right now," she said while still looking at me with an almost anxious look on her face. "I have to make up for lost time."

She didn't look any different really, but I could still feel a faint exhaustion radiating off of her through that particular part of mind that had somehow managed to connect with hers. I didn't feel sympathy for Granger – oh no, I wasn't that far gone yet. But she was way more tired than I was if she had been studying obsessively from morning until night for the last couple of days.

"It's my treat," I said with a small smile. "And you're going to need to be your very best for studying, so you should come. And it's time you take a break. Knowing you, Granger, you've probably been cooped up in there for days on end simply studying. It's time to get some fresh air."

Now she looked thoroughly undecided, and she was biting her lips in an expression of indecision.

"Think of how refreshed you'll feel afterwards and all the studying you'll be able to do."

_I've done my part now._

I stood silently as I waited, still watching her as she seemed to turn inward and think quickly about a solution. Two seconds later-

"Alright. Just let me get ready, alright?"

Before I could reply, Granger had already closed the door and disappeared into her house.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

It was like I'd summoned him with my thoughts.

"What am I going to wear?" I muttered to myself as I hurried through the hallway into my bedroom, leaving Malfoy outside on the porch.

_It's just lunch!_

Then I snorted. A Malfoy making a house call? No, it wasn't just lunch or brunch or whatever he wanted to call it. But, nevermind that, what was I supposed to wear? What passed for normal everyday clothes for Malfoy never ceased to amaze me – no one (and I repeat _no one_) could get away with what looked like black silk trousers and a snowy white sweater. It wasn't just that the clothes had a dress quality but that they which offset his silver blonde hair.

I needed to at the very least look presentable, and not like some hag who had just woke up in a dungeon without a comb, and a bad hair day to boot.

The sudden vanity was appalling! I got to my bedroom and pulled on jean trousers, a tee and leather jacket, and my favorite boots. I quickly tied that up into a high ponytail and then suddenly stopped in the hallway, almost tripping myself up. It wasn't as if he'd given me a warning or a location – if I heard anything about 'dressing appropriately' I would leave after bashing his head in.

_Why am I even going along with this?_

The idea of not falling asleep a full three hours earlier than planned was definitely lusciously tempting. I could do this, I was sure.

"I can do this," I whispered as I expelled breath and lifted my shoulders. I was getting too anxious and anxiety _never_ helped me any. I just had to slow things down before I plowed forth into this afternoon with Malfoy. I didn't want to build it up to be anything better than the restaurant fiasco – it was better to have low expectations than to be sorely disappointed because the bar was set too high. I squared my shoulders and began moving through the hallway again, feeling a tad prepared and much more in control of the situation than before. Now, I was ready to go.

**oo**

It turns out that we took the very cab that Malfoy had ridden down here to a small café that I had not even known existed in my own area. The ride there was quiet and awkward. I hadn't the faintest idea what to say to him although it should never be doubted that I had many questions.

The 'why' he had done it was fairly obvious – the magic that tied us together would make us progressively exhausted if we hadn't seen each other. He hadn't been necessarily apologetic. His demeanor was still cocky and arrogant, still entitled. I wanted to ask him what he'd meant when he'd said that it had been horrendous for both of us. I wanted to ask him why a café, and why he didn't have some sort of chauffeur to carry him around. I wanted to know how he even knew what a taxi was and how to catch it, and when he'd learned about Muggle money. I was dying to ask him where we were going and for how long but I didn't.

I didn't.

I had always thought that Malfoy was a thoroughly stuck up and snotty person. Heavens, I still thought Malfoy was thoroughly snotty and more than a little stuck up. How could the Ministry have tied us together? In all my years of studying, I'd never come across a spell that was foolproof. I couldn't imagine intricacy and complexity of the spells that would bind us but wouldn't the propensity for failure be magnified exponentially? Something like the more spells there are the larger the capacity for accidents? And if we logically said-

"Granger." I started suddenly at the smooth sound of Malfoy's low voice coming from…outside? "We're here."

Malfoy stood outside of the taxi cab door on my side of the car, holding the door open with a smirk on his face. When had we gotten here?

"Oh." I got frazzled again, quickly coming to the conclusion that Malfoy had probably been holding the door open for a little bit of time now, hence the mocking smirk on his face. "I beg your pardon."

I struggled to get out of the car but I moved a little too quickly and a foot caught on the side of the car.

_Oh-_

Before I knew it, the space separating myself and the ground quickly became less and less. I squeaked as I flung my arms in front of me, hitting the pavement hard with my upper body and my legs half in and half out of the cab. To say that I was appalled and in pain was an understatement! I must have looked ridiculous to the people who were walking around, and the red flush began to creep up my face as I tried not to think about it. Suddenly, there were arms around my waist that easily lifted me off of the ground and unto my shaky feet.

It was Malfoy, and I was very surprised to see a concerned look on his face.

"Honestly, Granger."

He frowned hard and ran impatient hands over me. God, my elbows hurt. Those blue-gray eyes seemed to be looking for cuts or scratches and he was brushing off the dirt from the elbows of my black leather jacket, but all I could do was stare in an almost scared way.

This was the closest we had ever been without being in an altercation.

"This is what happens to girls who study too much. They become socially unskilled – they trip over cars and land awkwardly on sidewalks; then wait for handsome young men to save them."

I stared at him.

_Was-…was that a joke?_

I stood there very still and silently as he quickly finished his search. It was quite disconcerting to have Draco Malfoy run his hands up and down my sides with his eyes skimming the rest of me as well, even briefly as it happened. When he was done, he strode to the other side of the taxi and paid the driver – or at least that's what I was assuming he did. I was useless for anything other than not moving, so stunned was I at Malfoy's nice behavior.

When he returned, he raised his eyebrows.

"Actually, the handsome young man part doesn't sound too damaging."

A small smile lit his face and it was shocking how amicable he looked. He started moving toward the café, not minding the other people who were walking around. When he noticed I still hadn't moved, he walked back with his pale brow furrowed and a puzzled skeptical look on his face.

"Did you knock loose a few marbles, Granger?"

I blinked. The ass had returned. I shook my head and tried to get myself out of this surprised state I was in. Nevermind I'd just smashed face first into the sidewalk.

"I'm perfectly fine."

I waved a hand as I used the other to tug my shirt back in. My fingers were stumbling and clumsy, and I couldn't get the bottom of the shirt between two fingers for the life of me. I began to abandon it with a disgruntled sound but before I could move I was again surprised by Malfoy.

"Let me help you with that."

His silver blonde head was bent towards mine and I couldn't see his eyes for the straight strands of silver blonde hair that fell over his pale face. His hands pulling down my shirt, and then zipped up my leather jacket. But he didn't move away quickly, his fingers lingering around my waist before he pulled himself back and away from me. I looked up at his face with eye furrowed and mind confused, just in time to see blue-grey eyes peering right back at me from a little farther away.

He had moved back. He had given me space. I wanted to give myself even more room by possibly moving all the way across the street and to the end of the block.

"Are _you_ really alright, Granger?"

"Yes, of course," I said briskly. I yanked my coat in to place and dusted off some imaginary

"Just making sure," he said slowly. "I don't believe that I was the one who tried to speed up my death date by slamming into the curb face forward."

And that was the end of my nervousness.

I rolled my eyes and watched him offer me an imperious smirk before turning around and motioning that I should follow along over his shoulders.

_This is the Malfoy I know._ _Good._

"Come along, Granger."

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

I may have looked very calm and put-together on the outside but I was very surprised on the inside. The healing thing was not the issue – it was the way that I had zipped up her jacket and prolonged touching her that alarmed me. It wasn't that I was turned on by Granger, far from it at this point. It was that I had had this need to protect her…to caress her.

Apparently you didn't have to like someone to want to take care of them.

_Thank you, bloody Ministry._

"Malfoy," Granger said, looking around with a refreshed excitement. Her brown eyes glittered as a smile hesitated on the edges of her facial expression. "Where did you find this place? Or when?"

It was a book-shop café, a place that I had never thought would exist. Tall glass plane windows let the sunshine in, and there were shades to be pulled and bright lights to be turned on if it were gray outside. The entrance was an average glass door that read Café Anushka on the front in bold red letters outlined in a brassy gold. The chairs were red and gold, almost as if the Muggle who had designed this place had had the Gryffindors in mind.

I fought the urge to wrinkle my nose, and lost. Silver and green would do this place some good.

I had supposed that it would be the kind of thing that Granger would like-

Alright, well, Blaise had actually found the place for me. I'd just visited two days ago to ascertain that it would be the kind of place that Granger would like. I would never tell her that though.

"A few days ago. I see that you're eyeing the books - just itching for a good book to read?"

Granger didn't answer – she was too far gone.

Her eyes glittered and she looked fit to burst out of her skin and worm her way through the books that lined the oaken shelves scattered around the store. The girl was fairly bursting with excitement that was only being held back by the thinnest of leashes. Before she could up and explode on me, I got in her line of vision and motioned us over to the closest shelf.

"I can't believe I didn't know about this," Granger murmured softly as she seated herself in a snazzy red chair and hunched her shoulders excitedly.

"Do try and control yourself," I rolled my eyes and seated myself across from her. "You're going to get a chance to look at some of these books on the shelf next to you…since I'm not letting you leave until you've had a decent break."

It took awhile for the red haze to clear from her vision but once it did, she aimed an amused smirk at me.

"You're not going to _let_ me?"

I only raised an eyebrow.

"Of course not, Bookworm Princess. You _do_ know that breaks are a good thing, right?"

She just rolled her eyes and reached out a hand to grab the nearest hard cover available. Absently, I wondered if it actually _mattered _what the book was about. Did she simply have no qualms as long as it looked like a book? Or maybe she had excellent vision and had managed to figure out what section we were in?

She opened the front cover reverently, her tanned hands caressing the red cover lovingly and her long wavy brown hair tumbling down her shoulders as she leant forward intently. She didn't look up as she asked me a question that was more of a command than anything else.

"Since you insist on keeping me here, could you please bring me something warm to drink perhaps?"

In less than 120 seconds, Hermione Granger was engrossed in the small red novel that she had chosen. I just sighed, shook my head and absently swept my blonde hair out of my eyes before getting up to go to the counter. I was being ordered about, only minutes after that ridiculous sidewalk encounter.

_What in the name of Merlin had that been about? It's not like I actually wanted to protect her or anything. I mean I do but not…really?_ _But she really didn't have her act together today – I haven't seen her so frazzled since…well, since this whole business began._

Hermione Granger had always been the rock of the Golden Trio – she had started out as the glue that held them together and she'd appeared to be their anchor in rough times. But she had appeared quite absent today, enough to land herself a date with cement anyway. Suddenly, I was worried.

Had I stayed away too long? Was it a side-effect of the prolonged absence? And why in Merlin's name was I now feeling guilty about waiting to talk to her?

I ordered two hot chocolates (slowly because I wasn't quite sure what the size order was), two pasties and a bottle of water and was well on my way to the table when I noticed that Granger wasn't alone. There was a tall black girl with wild shoulder-length curls talking to her quite animatedly. The girl looked very familiar…but her name was slipping my mind.

As I approached, armed with the brown paper bag under one arm and the two drinks in both hands, the sound of their laughter reached my ears. I was about six feet away from them but neither Granger nor the other girl noticed my slow approach.

"When I heard the news from my Mum, I couldn't believe it!" Granger was standing there and looking at the girl with a large grin on her face.

"Well _I _couldn't believe it, either…" The pretty girl laughed, tossed her hair. "I was so shocked and I had seen him the day before and we had actually _joked_ about it!"

"So," Granger said taking the girls hands in her own. "How's it working out? I'm actually planning to go over to the Burrow sometime this week, after I feel comfortable that I've studied enough."

"Fred is…" she waved her hands helplessly, "…Fred. I'd like to think that I'm holding my own."

She caught sight of me and stared.

"Malfoy?"

The voice clicked. Angelina Johnson. Granger stood back, watching her and I with a purposely blank look on her face. Poor Johnson's eyebrows were going to wriggle themselves right off her face and back past her hairline.

"I do believe it is Miss Johnson, yes?"

I shifted the paper bag under my arm and just looked at her, tempted to smile but not acquiescing to that desire. The incredulous look on her face faded as she turned away from me.

"You…and Malfoy?"

All Granger did was nod. I took the time to walk behind Granger and put my goods on the small round table. By the time I looked up, Angelina Johnson's incredulous look had been replaced with a look that I couldn't quite describe. It wasn't surprise, exactly. And it wasn't really disapproval.

"I had no idea that you knew about this place, Hermione." The black girl switched the topic quickly and successfully. "Are you buying something today?"

"Yes!" Granger started gushing away, her hands starting to gesticulate on their own as her whole self tried to communicate the utter excitement that she was feeling. I remained standing with my hands in my trouser pockets, waiting for the ladies to be seated. But as soon as Granger began, I knew that we might be standing for a long time.

_Granger is **such** a bookworm. _I nearly rolled my eyes. _Unbelievable._

"And I had no idea that such a place existed-"

I simply tuned her out and turned myself inward. I wondered what that look from Angelina was all about. What was there to know, really? It had been, and still was, an utter surprise to me that the Ministry thought we had something in common. There couldn't have possible been any clue in all the years of Hogwarts interaction.

"-and you really have to look carefully to notice the intricacies of the plot. I mean Helgrind is the basis for lots of mystery stories, when really-"

I shook my head and told myself that I was reading too much into everything today. There was nothing in the previous years, there was nothing to that pointless fight a couple of weeks ago, there was nothing to the difficulty in which I found myself in when trying to pull away from Granger today – there was nothing. _Nope,_ I shook my head again. _Nothing._

"And actually, he's the one who found it and brought me here, right?"

I looked up to find the two females staring at me expectantly.

"Ah, yes…I found it all by myself."

I smirked at Granger then looked back at Angelina Johnson. Hopefully the smirk would distract her from my hesitation.

"Well that's good," Angelina said as she nodded and smiled. Then she turned back to Hermione. "So I'm inviting myself over tomorrow so that we can catch up on everything."

"Tomorrow?" For the first time in their conversation, I saw a genuine frown from Granger. "I can't," she shrugged her shoulders in a defeatist sort of way. "I'm going to study all day tomorrow."

I interrupted.

"Oh, no you're not."

"Excuse me?" Granger turned to me with a look on her face that said she didn't quite get my meaning. Or if she did, she did _not_ like where it was going.

"You can part with your books for an hour – I promise it won't kill you. I can help you out and take some away from you-"

She crossed her arms of her chest and glared me down with a furious look on her face.

"Touch my books and lose whichever hand came into contact with them first."

"I've always loved how violent you get over learning," I said in a mock blissful tone. "It's good to know some things don't change. But is that a threat? Or a dare?"

"Draco Malfoy." Granger fairly spat, as if she were being inhabited by a book-crazed wild cat. "You. Touch. Those. Books. And. You. Are. Done. Got it?"

I smiled, leaned close, knowing it would get her back up.

"I am just so scared, Little Miss Bookworm. Do you see me quaking in my-"

"Well." We turned as one to see Angelina Johnson looking faintly amused. "I'll just be on my merry way, then. See you tomorrow at the Burrow!"

I inclined my head then turned back to the spitting she-cat in front of me.

"She ran off rather quickly," I observed.

"You arse!" Granger said angrily. "You scared her off!"

"You have such a dirty mouth!" I said with a glare of my own. "You're not exactly a bundle of joy and happiness right now, either. Studying has you losing your grip."

She "humphed" and I just rolled my eyes and motioned her to sit down.

"Drink your hot chocolate, read a few chapters of your book – then, _and only then_, I'll take you home."

She continued to frown before the book pulled her under again

"Merlin", I murmured quietly while resisting the urge to rub my forehead. Being with Granger gave me a constant headache.

_I hope she finishes that book fast._

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

Another cab to get me back home.

This time I stared out at the darkening skies, a pretty blue that was fitting for half past six o'clock, with four new books in a shopping bag. He'd been bossy and obnoxious and more than a little arrogant. But he'd managed to get me relaxed enough to enjoy leisurely reading then secretly bought me half the books I'd stared at _and_ presented them to me before we'd left. Though I was still irritated over his threat (who would dare touch _my_ books?), everything else made me...

…happy.

I glanced at him, trying not to be obvious about catching a look. Malfoy sat comfortably on the other side of the seat, looking unruffled and thoroughly relaxed. His look was thoughtful as he stared out of the window at the blue horizon, and his silver blonde hair fell over his face in such a way as to bring attention to those blue-gray eyes of his. I looked away almost as quickly as I had glanced over.

_Why?_

The restaurant had probably been one of the most pointless, uncomfortable and unsuccessful events of my post-war adult life. But the Malfoy today hadn't taken the argument over books as far as he could have. Usually, the jerk made much ado about nothing. Or at least at Hogwarts. My brow wrinkled as a question rose to the forefront of my mind: how well did I really know Draco Malfoy?

I knew that he was rich. Heavens, everyone at Hogwarts had known he was wealthy and his family was Pureblood. I knew he had been expected to be a Death Eater from the very start, that he he'd fought for Voldemort, and I had heard that he had been one of their best duelists but avoided the battlefield as often as he could.

_And now?_

I drew a complete and total blank. It seemed that Malfoy probably knew a whole lot more about me than I did about him. I turned my head to fully look at him. Before I really thought about what I was saying, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"I feel like I don't really know you, Malfoy."

A brief silence met that abrupt sentence. I watched as Malfoy turned away from his window to look right back at me. His head was tilted to one side as his eyes seemed to question me.

He stared.

I stared back.

"I was hoping," he said, "that you would follow that sentence up with another that would shed some light as to what it is that you want…"

I shook my head impatiently.

"I mean, I feel like we're perfect strangers and…we shouldn't…be," I finished weakly. "Just a thought.

"Is Hermione Granger actually saying that she wants to get to know me?" His smile was honest. "After all we've been through?"

Well, yes.

"Yes. I'm simply pointing out that I should at the very least do the small courtesy of getting to know the general things about you."

"The general things, eh." Malfoy's smile was now infuriating. I literally had to think about controlling a twitch in my eyes. "Does that mean you want to go on a second date, Granger?"

"Se-second?"

"This was the first."

"No," I said and shook my head slowly. "The restaurant was the first."

Malfoy grimaced, before waving a hand carelessly through the air.

"Let's forget about that one, shall we? Good! But if you want to get to know me then…make an effort," he continued quietly as he looked at me. "It's part of why I was angry the day – well, the day you got hurt. You assume and then you work off that assumption. I want…I suppose I just want you to want to know me genuinely."

I was honestly surprised by this.

"I did? I mean, I do?"

He nodded.

"Oh." It stumped me – I hadn't thought I was so transparent. "Did you mean what you said back there, about tomorrow?"

He nodded again.

"Oh."

He smiled.

"So tomorrow?" He cleared his throat. "A date of sorts?"

That was a word I wasn't comfortable with using but whatever suited him, I suppose. The taxi slowly pulled to a stop outside my house and we both got out of the car, but I moved _much _more carefully so that I would avoid another tripping fiasco. I could have sworn he was smirking behind my back, but when I straightened his face was nonchalantly set into a blandly unoccupied look.

"Hmph," I muttered. "Fine."

He walked me to the porch, stood at the door while I fumbled around for my keys and wand.

"It was a pleasure, Granger." Malfoy stood there, the same way he had this morning – with a shoulder leaning against a pillar and his hands in his pockets. When he smiled, I tried not to smile back.

I nodded.

"I'll come around about the same time tomorrow."

I nodded again.

"And please try not to stay up studying. We want to avoid smashing the pavement twice in 48 hours."

He turned and went down the stairs without a backward glance and reentered the cab. There was nothing else for me to do but to watch it drive away, then shake my head, get my wand and enter the house to get back to my studies.


	14. A First Second Date

Author's Note - Updated November 27th 2011. I should be completely done reworking this story by the end of December. Latest, mid-January. I've caught a second wind (finally) and will power through this until I'm done so I can finally give Ron and Padma the attention they deserve. Remember that Dean and Luna's story is already completed, and that Ron and Padma's story has just begun so check those two couples out. There's discrepancies (cellphone usage vs Plunko's for instance) that I haven't gotten around to fixing. Note: none of my MAM stories are DH compliant. At all.

Happy reading! Happy Thanksgiving!

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**Fourteenth Cycle**

**A First Second Date**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"It wasn't a date."

"Yes, Hermione. It was."

Ginny was insistent, her voice came floating through the hallway and into the kitchen, as she padded to get a piece of paper from my bedroom.

"Don't you think I would _know_ if _I _were on a date?"

"Knowing you…" I waited expectantly for Ginny's loud answer. "No."

"Why on earth would it be a date?"

"Because you willingly went out together." Her voice got louder as she came back into my living room and sat down on the carpet. She reached for the remote control of the TV that I had taught her to use years ago, and started flipping through channels at the speed of light. I rolled my eyes as she continued in a bland voice, with eyes glued to the television screen. "He found a place that he knew you would like and he brought you there. Isn't that what dates are about?"

"Dates are for people who like each other."

"No", Ginny shook her head and spared me a brief, wry glance. "Dates are for finding out if you're compatible with someone. And that doesn't even matter because of the Ministry."

I started to protest but was stopped by a hand.

"And even if yesterday wasn't a date, today is _definitely_ a date." Ginny's eyes flew right back to the TV as some soap opera caught her attention. "Are we finished defining it now?"

"But-"

"Just mull it over alright? Oh –Luna and Angelina and Padma are coming over tomorrow to the Burrow. And so are you. But anyway, just think about it and let me watch the show and-"

She interrupted herself with a sudden gasp that scared me into looking up at the screen with. All I saw was some man watching as a woman ran away crying, mascara and tears blending on her face to make ugly black streaks. From the engaged look I saw on Ginny's freckled face, I correctly assumed that I would not be hearing from her for some time.

I stood to my feet, and stretched my arms over my head.

_I'm just going to go study_, I thought as I looked at my watch. It was noon, and I had exactly three hours before Malfoy would be around to pick me up and I fully planned to make good use of them.

"I'll be in the bedroom, Ginny."

"Yes, fine." Ginny never even looked up, just a waved me away absently and glued her eyes even more firmly to the screen.

Clearly, I'd been dismissed.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

I had absolutely nothing to wear.

I mean, as the scion of the House of Malfoy had at least three suites of rooms full of clothing. Mostly somber colors, yes, but I'd been getting around to adding more cheerful things to my closet. Sort of. But it was already 2:45 and I had just hopped right out of the shower and stood in my boxers and realized that I hadn't decided what to wear. Blaise likes to call me a girl when I say things like this. But that's because he's a narcissistic loon who has every item of clothing color-coded and divided into category, brand or store, and suitable of time of day for wearing. He never had this problem. And my problem was confounded by another problem.

I had suddenly gotten the urge to take Granger out to somewhere a lot fancier than a bookstore.

Perhaps it was to make for that awful time a week ago. Or perhaps it was to satisfy this craving for seafood that had been dogging me the last few days. But if I wanted to take Granger out to a fancier place, then I would have to hurry up and tell her.

My second problem – Granger had a phone number but I didn't know it. We also certainly hadn't gotten around to using Plunko's notes, either.

Which meant I'd have to Apparate there and back immediately to push our date back later.

I didn't have any idea how she might react. Maybe she would be pleased. Maybe she would be angry. Maybe she would call the whole thing off.

"If she argues then I'm simply going to go there by myself," I muttered to myself as I threw out shirt after shirt in search of a white sweatshirt. Finding a gray tee-shirt, I pulled it carelessly over my head, and then continued on my clothes search. "She can't possibly complain."

I stopped, frowned.

"Actually, knowing Granger she would _totally_ blow things out of proportion…" I pulled on a pair of trousers. "Best to go now than later."

**oo**

About five minutes later, I was knocking on Granger's white door with the necessary apologetic look on my face. This face was supposed to be the most amazing face to ever have existed in the entire human existence, for it was meant to both disarm Hermione Granger and get me out of _any_ sort of trouble without the slightest of peeps from her.

Hopefully, she would be delighted.

And just like yesterday, the door swung open to find Granger. The difference now was that she seemed to be actually dressed. There was an expectant look on her tanned face, and possible even the hint of a smile.

_Damn it, do I really want to ruin this good mood that she seems to be in? _

There was no choice.

"Ah, Granger." _Of course,_ I thought sarcastically to myself. _That was **the** smoothest thing I could have come up with._ "Good afternoon."

"Somehow, I can tell that you have something to tell me."

Her face wasn't angry. Indeed, it still had that expectant look and she just stood leaning against the open door casually.

"Actually, yes. We're going to dinner instead."

I said it so abruptly that I was expecting some kind of argument but all Granger did was shrug her shoulders and continue to look at me.

"What time?"

"I apolo- what?"

Where was the argument that I was expecting?

"I asked what time we were leaving."

"Oh, ah…" Now that she had said yes, I realized that I hadn't actually thought dinner out that far. "I'll be here around 7:45 tonight."

She wrinkled her nose.

"Are we Apparating?"

"Yes."

"Oh. Is it the same restaurant?"

"Oh _no_."

Neither one of us was ready to go back to that place; nor did I think that it would emphasize the niceness of what I was trying to do if I took her back there. We both stood there awkwardly and for the first time in years, I found myself desiring to give my shoes a good scuffing on the floor. Deciding that that would be quiet enough of that, I turned to step off the porch.

"So, I'll see you then?"

I paused for a half a moment to see her nod and begin to close her door. With a smile, I Apparated back to my apartment to make restaurant reservations and to get myself mentally prepared for a whole night with Hermione Granger.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

"Ginny!" I looked myself over in the mirror as I yelled at the top of my lungs. "Ginny, can you come over here right now?"

"Coming!"

I looked myself over with a critical eye until she got there. Perhaps the strapless white dress was a bit daring for a date? At least my hair was pulled back a little bit, although I'd left the curls alone except for something to make them shine.

"I told you that you would look great."

Ginny stuck her head through the door but refused to step forward into the bathroom. She always said that because my mirror was so big, she would let me have my light and only use it when she really needed to. She thought it was quite a reasonable statement; I thought she was weird.

"Ferret Face has about 5 minutes to-" Ginny almost finished saying but was interrupted by the doorbell. "Oh look, he's here already. I'm going to get it!"

The moment she said it, I felt _him_ there. It was like a separate awareness inside my own and I was beginning to know the feel of him. It was funny and very cliché but his mind felt like silver and green to me. I guess once a Slytherin, you take up those features or characteristics. But knowing that about Malfoy was scary, and so I tried to ignore this uncomfortable feeling of awareness and go on

I turned the corner just in time to see Ginny inviting Draco in. Since neither had seen me yet, I backed up farther up the hall and watched as she led him into my living room.

"So, where are you two going?"

I tiptoed closer to the two and stood on the other side of the wall, watching their faces.

"A restaurant," Malfoy answered politely.

"Just dinner? No music and dancing?"

A vaguely disconcerted rose on his face.

"Actually, there will be music and dancing."

"Good. And what time will you be back?"

"Weaselette," I heard a slight smile in his voice. "You ask many questions."

I could just imagine the withering glare she gave him as she said "Just answer the question, Malfoy."

"In all actuality, I really don't know."

There was a slight pause in which I could feel Ginny's suspicious nature taking over and the spot inside me that was Malfoy's consciousness grow increasingly uncomfortable. Interesting. Malfoy had appeared in control much of time in school, even to Ron and I when Harry didn't think so. I tiptoed back up the hallway and prepared to enter as normally as possible, as if I hadn't been listening almost the entire time.

"Ready?" I strode in.

I was standing between Ginny and Malfoy, and off to the side. Malfoy inclined his head graciously and Ginny's face broke into a smile. Then I turned my back on Malfoy and grinned at Ginny.

"What were you two talking about?"

"Oh," Ginny said brightly. "Nothing important."

There was movement behind me-

"As if you don't know…"

I heard a low laugh, and immediately fought a blush. I coughed to clear my throat and Ginny looked at me strangely, her head tilted to the side and a suspicious look coming over her face.

"What was that?"

"Oh," I coughed again then demurely smoothed out invisible wrinkles on my white dress. "Malfoy was just saying that he really wanted to-"

"To take Granger out of the apartment."

Her face crinkled into a dubious look.

"Well then. I won't keep you. Just let me grab my jacket, and I'll be off." She quickly sped off to my room to retrieve her jacket, leaving Malfoy and I alone. He offered me a smirk.

"You were present for the entirety of it."

I had to fight off that wretched blush again.

"How did you know?"

"I can tell whenever you're close by."

Malfoy's voice came out so casually that nearly missed the importance of what he said. If he could sense me, then it stands to reason that I could sense him just as easily if I tried. _That's just weird…_

"Shall we be on our way?"

**oo**

"This way please, sir."

I barely noticed when Malfoy led me with a hand at the small of my back. The waitress that would lead us to our table bowed before making her way at a moderate place to a table in the back of the restaurant near an open window. The restaurant was truly beautiful and it was through complete self-control that I managed not to make gasping noises as I followed the waitress.

Good Lord, the man had taken me to France.

_Oh my…look at the lush red carpet!_

I'm very sure that my eyes bulged as I tried to take in as much of the scenery as possible. The red of this restaurant was very much like the red of that other restaurant, in which the disaster had taken place. But this place had more of a summer theme to it, what with open windows and the breeze blowing right through it. There were lots of young witches and wizards sitting close together at tables for two, and with a little magic, the breezes that blew through the restaurant never extinguished the flames of the multiple cream candles that littered the place. The whole place was a maroon-and-cream colored dream.

_And here I thought Slytherins had an absolute attachment to green…_

"Your table, madame, sir," she said and bowed again. I was startled out of my thoughts when Malfoy pulled a chair out and seated me before seating himself opposite at the table for two. "And I will be your waitress for tonight," the woman continued. "What would you like to drink?"

"White Zinfandel for me, and for the lady…" Malfoy looked at me and I hurriedly filled in the gap.

"A flute of what he's having and a glass of water, thanks." I smiled at the waitress and she nodded before walking away. My eyes automatically went back to ogling the room and I absently noticed the breeze blowing from

"Granger, your eyes are bulging." I heard the laugh in his voice and my eyes immediately snapped back to Malfoy's face to see if he was making fun of me. It didn't seem as if he was, so I went back to gazing at the walls and the ceiling.

"Are they really?" I asked in a very bland tone. "Well, it's a beautiful place. Where exactly are we?"

"It is, and this-" he said with an elegant hand motion, "-is The Restaurant at Nerja on Burriana Beach, Nerja, Spain."

My jaw dropped for a fraction of a second before I regained composure. He broke out in the first true grin I'd seen all summer.

"I take it you've never been?"

"Never," I whispered reverently, "never here, never Nerja, never Spain. How did you find this place? Is it yours? And if it is, the color scheme seems to pay homage to a House not your own? And if this is a restaurant run by wizards, then why are there waiters and waitresses?"

I ignored the way his grin dissolved into laughter.

"It is ours. Mother is very…impartial to the food industry, and we have quite a few businesses that we've invested in that are run and legally owned by the original owners but are still financially buoyed by our Money. This particular restaurant…our shares are upwards of 30%."

It boggled my mind, how rich this man was. He looked around the place, eyes drifting from the walls to the ceiling to the beach less than a step away.

"Waiters and waitresses? I suppose it's meant to feel more…cozy. More personal. If you were to just order and the food magically appears, wouldn't the atmosphere be different?"

I thought about that for a second.

"Certainly."

"The food is still prepared magically but everything else is designed after Muggle restaurants."

"I must admit that I am thoroughly surprised." _And impressed._ But I would never voice that aloud in his presence. "It looks like a worthy venture. I am curious as to how the Pureblood Draco Malfoy has come to dabble in Muggle-stylized restaurants."

As soon as it left my mouth, I winced a little. His eyes narrowed.

"I truly meant to tease only," I said softly, "it is neither verbal reprimand nor an insult."

He sighed.

"We're going to get over this somehow." He smiled and did something totally unexpected – he touched my hand. "We will."

Thankfully, our waitress reappeared with our drinks. She set down two tall glasses of water and pumpkin juice, and then tucked the tray underneath her arms.

"Please look over the menus, and I will return to take your orders."

A wave of her hand materialized the menus and we buried ourselves. I wondered if I should play it safe and try not to get too much?

"What do you want?" His eyes were warmer as they looked at me over the menu. I hoped he couldn't feel what I was feeling. "Everything here is delicious, I guarantee it."

"I think I'll just go for a salad."

Because after that I would tear into a Chicken Wellington.

"A salad?" Malfoy asked. I looked up from my menu to see that same slightly displeased look on his face.

"What?" I asked taken aback. "Is that a problem?"

"A salad?" he asked again, and this time his face was dubious.

"Yes, a salad!" I grew indignant now and glared at him over the top of my menu.

He seemed to shrug and look away from me as if he'd lost interest.

"Well, if that's really all you want to eat…"

"Yes, it's all I want to eat," I snapped back then closed the stupid menu and put it on the table.

"Suit yourself, Granger," I heard him mutter under his breath.

It wasn't as if I was eating a salad because I was scared of what he would think of me eating. I wanted a salad, damn it, and I wanted to eat a salad before the main course! Did he think that I even cared what he thought? About my _eating _habits?

_Deep breath. Forget Malfoy,_ I thought lazily and let my eyes drift close. _I'll just stay like this until the waitress comes back._

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

An odd silence had stretched between us; a silence that had started out angry but didn't seem to be anymore.

It was very disconcerting to be constantly aware of Granger's feelings, but Merlin knows it was useful. Without looking up I read her like a book. She had squashed her anger into a tight unyielding ball far away from the surface, trying to remain calm. As I concentrated on the part of me that her consciousness dwelt in, the knot seemed to dwindle down into almost nothing. I kept my head bowed, and I smiled a little smirk to myself. Though Granger had been the first to be aware of this…over consciousness of your fiancée, it didn't seem as if she knew how to guard her emotions. I could easily tell what mood she was in if she was anywhere within 100 feet of me but I was sure that she couldn't do the same for me.

_Well now that I know she's **not** furious…_

I chanced a glance at her-

-and she was beautiful.

The candlelight that softly illuminated the entire restaurant was flickering across her face, one minute lighting up the contours of her closed eyes and nose and chin, the other minute leaving just her hair glinting honey brown and gold in the firelight. All that hair was floated in the playful breeze that was coming through the wide-open window. Her face, no, her _entire body_ was turned toward that mischievous breeze and as I gazed at her, I saw a small slow smile spread. It started with the very corners of her lips; a tugging, an irresistible pulling upward that she finally gave into after struggling with for a couple of seconds. From then, her lips pulled up slowly and steadily, as if Granger was still hesitant though whatever it was that was prompting that look was as delightful and irresistible as she looked to me right now. But, unfortunately for my erratically beating heart, she didn't stop there.

_This fucking bond!_

Her tongue appeared at one corner of those cherry lips, and my eyes glued themselves to her tongue as if it held an answer to any and every question I'd ever wanted to ask. I knew that it would spell the end for me if she were to-

She did.

Her tongue made a maddeningly slow sweep of her bottom lip and I swiftly and silently clapped a hand over my mouth to stop the sharp intake of breath that was sure to startle Granger out of her reverie.

I had to stop staring at her. I also had to shut this shit off in my head. It was taking everything I saw and magnifying it out of control – rather like the way I'd seen the world when I'd found her in that gotdamned bar. Except how the hell was I supposed to have known that I could get aroused from her _smiling_?

I closed my eyes briefly – _Oh Heavenly Father…_ – but opened them to continue my helpless watching.

That devilish tongue was sweeping across her top lip, wetting every crease and crevice of her moth and almost stopping my heart altogether. I was in physical pain. Not only was I unable to breathe, but I was completely and utterly aroused. I was harder that I had ever been and my pants were quickly becoming no match for the thickening bulge in my trousers.

_Oh God._

I had to go.

I had to get up and leave.

Or maybe blind myself?

No, getting up and leaving was a safer route.

The loo?

Yes, the loo.

I shot to my feet and she flinched and looked up at me.

"Granger." My voice came out raspy and harsh and uneven. I'm sure that I looked as if I was going to be sick and sweat was dripping down my face. I looked away from her as soon as I could. "Please excuse me for a moment."

I averted my face, and turned quickly and awkwardly to make my blind way down somewhere, _anywhere _to calm down and possible relieve me. I half-walked half-sprinted into a men's loo that I accidentally stumbled across, and rushed into the first empty stall that I could find.

_The men's papers didn't say **anything** about this!_

Merlin's balls, it wasn't possible. It wasn't natural. I mean, good Lord I wasn't even sure I liked her just yet! This thing was forcing things fast. My face was dripping sweat and I kept my eyes closed for an entire minute. Just breathe, just breathe, just breathe…I kept repeating it over and over until the sweat turned cold and my heart stopped trying to leap out of my chest.

And let's not forget about the raging hard-on I now had to get rid of.

"No!" I snarled out loud. It was a good thing that the bathroom was empty. "I absolutely refuse to relieve myself here!"

_But it's either that or scare Granger off with a noticeably large bulge in your trousers._

It's a measure of how great my discomfort that I considered leaving the restaurant altogether.

This really, really was not a desirable situation. Time was passing, and the longer I was absent from the table the more likely it was for Granger's curiosity to get the better of her. But what to do? Should I use my hands? Or would I have to make my jacket longer using magic? But was I strong enough to walk around with a painfully large erection for another two hours and manage not to burst?

"Hardly," I snorted aloud.

A new thought, a horrifying thought, a terrible thought came to mind. _Would I continue to react like this to everything she did for **the rest of the night**?_

"Bloody fucking hell!"

Me, a Malfoy who was supposed to be in complete control of my feelings, I Draco Malfoy had come apart from watching Hermione Granger lick her damned lips. And with that thought of her tongue gliding across those lips-

Hell, I was about to become reacquainted with my right hand.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

He had left the table in such a hurry, with a blue sickly pallor and sweat dripping down his face that I was tempted to follow him to the bathroom to make sure that he would be alright. I mean, perfect opportunity to put those Healer skills into practice. But he didn't look like he wanted to be bothered, and his guard was up so high that I couldn't tell what he was feeling. Instead, I shrugged my shoulders and turned my face back to the window and waited, a little anxiously, for Malfoy to return.

"Are you alright?"

Seconds had stretched into minutes and Malfoy came back to the table, slowly with a relieved and wary look on his face. His pale face was once more sweat free, though he hadn't regained his usual pureblood swagger. Nonetheless, he sat down.

"Yes."His voice was clipped, driving me back to irritation. I guess something in my face gave me a way because Malfoy he smiled apologetically and tried again. "I'm sorry. I'm a bundle of nerves tonight."

'Contrite' was an interesting look on him. His eyes were a dark gray now, more apparent against the alabaster white of his flawless skin, and his silver shoulder length blonde hair was now tightly pulled back and secured by a black leather thong. But his looks couldn't totally distract me.

"Are you certain?" I asked cautiously. "What's wrong? We can leave if you would like, if you're feeling a bit ill."

A wary look came back into his eyes, as if I were some strange dangerous creature who wanted nothing more than to pry into his personal affairs.

"You don't want to know."

"Oh, but I do."

Silence met that one. I raised an eyebrow.

"I'm only going to keep pestering you if you don't tell me."

A guarded smile flitted briefly across his face.

"I'll take my chances with that then."

Just then the waitress came back to take our orders. Unluckily for him, I had no intention of dropping the subject.

**oo**

"Honestly, Malfoy. I don't know why you won't tell me. I may not be a licensed Healer yet but I'm sure I could at least help."

I was still begging him to tell me what had caused him to run off so suddenly at the beginning of the dinner, though the rest of the night had passed in amicable (if not strained) fun. But I had warned him that I would not leave the subject alone. And true to my word, I was still begging him as we walked up my pathway side by side.

"Granger." His voice was a low growl that spoke volumes of impatience and frustration. "You're going to drive me right into the loony bin if you don't stop."

We were already up the stairs and slowing down our walk to a complete stop. My porch light wasn't working – I would have to remember to fix it later, but for now we were in the lighter shadows of the porch. The area in front of the white door was ironically the most heavily shadowed. Malfoy's body suddenly turned rigid as we moved toward the darkest area of the door, but now I _really_ couldn't stop myself.

"I know that but can't you just tell me?" I tilted my head to the right and turned fully toward him, with my side to the door. "About what was wrong? Take it as a new sense of concern for your well-being, and let your ego be boosted."

As suddenly as a bolt of lightning through the sky, the mood changed-

-and Draco Malfoy was now a bit too close to me for comfort. His body was still rigid, and tilting my head far back to look at his face suddenly became a daunting task. But that didn't seem to matter since he was drawing ever nearer to me. Malfoy's face, his pale beautiful sketch of a refined Greek Adonis' face drew closer and closer to my own, without ever touching. His guard wasn't as high as it was before, and the bond was passing me all sorts of confusing information about his mood. I couldn't decipher the sensory data fast enough nor could I make sense of it. He felt like the color 'red'… just **_red_** radiating off of him in waves. I was at a loss for words – how could you describe a feeling that only came to you as _color_? It was also becoming painfully clear that he was using his full height to herd me into door at my back. I couldn't look away from him now that he looked so dangerous.

"Well."

Malfoy's warm breath tickled my eyelashes, almost making me look up as well as serving as a heated counterpoint to the cool breezes of the night. His voice was a playfully light tenor but in my alarmed state, it rumbled right through me.

"Well," he continued. "You see, Granger, I was in a bit of a predicament earlier tonight."

This was unprecedented behavior.

I was going to pass out.

My back was completely pressed against the wall and there was nowhere for me to go. Dear heavens, were those his hands? His fingers moving over my bare arms, never touching the skin but instead skimming lightly over the fine hair? I shivered as those fingers lightly danced themselves up to both elbows then wandered down to my wrists again.

_What is he doing?_

"I saw something that startled me," he whispered conversationally as if he were imparting a great and surprising secret. "It really threw me off kilter, you see, and I had to leave the table before I did anything rash."

I should have never pestered him. Clearly, I should have just left good enough alone instead of getting him to this point where he was pressed into me and I _liked _it. I could have just saved myself all this trouble if- Good God, I couldn't breathe. My breath was starting to come in shallower, and my anxiety skyrocketed. I kept my eyes trained on that blasted sweater because if I noticed anything more about him, I would faint or scream or…go bury myself under a mountain load of books and never show my face again.

"W-what d-did you see?"

"Ah!" Malfoy's whisper brushed over my face like soft velvet. I didn't want to hear what he had to say – I just wanted him to speak again. "I saw you."

"M-me?" I sputtered out loud.

All movement bar the wind stopped. I froze in the shadows of the porch, my heart stopped beating, Malfoy's fingers paused in their wanderings and I felt my own surprise as well as the '_red_' emanating from the blond in overwhelming waves.

_Me? I am responsible for this…his…feelings right **now**?_

"Yes, you."

His voice was exceedingly calm.

Suddenly, I was looking up at Malfoy. And where had his hand come from? Because now he was holding my chin with two fingers and _his _face wasn't all that far away and I couldn't breathe or focus on anything but the color of his eyes – and weren't they blue before? Why were they grey now? – and oh God, I just knew that I should have never asked those questions and that all this heat was going to kill me and staring at him would be my downfall.

It was.

My mind just stopped functioning altogether as his pink lips gently pressed down on mine.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

Granger had irritated me, no _goaded_ me into this. She had goaded me into showing her exactly what had happened. But just because I was irritated didn't mean that I wanted to completely frighten her off with the extent to which she turned me on. Really, I had just wanted to shut her up.

So I backed little Miss I-Need-To-Know-It-All into her own front door, using my height and my body to corner her in the shadows and keep her there. I admit that I was a little anxious at how frozen she was but it wasn't quite fear that she was feeling. It was more like confusion and shock. So I forged ahead with my plan. But then it got out of hand. I had meant to tantalize her, to get her a bit hot and bothered, but then I couldn't stop at just touching her. I really _really_ wanted to kiss her. So I did.

The thing about kissing is that it is different with each person you're doing it with. My first kiss with Pansy Parkinson at the age of twelve in some tiny parlor in Malfoy Manor was nothing to write home about. It was wet and sloppy because neither of us had known what we were doing and the whole affair had thankfully been interrupted only 15 seconds into it. The next memorable kiss had been the exact opposite. Possibly Second Year with an older girl who had known exactly what she'd been doing, it had been in a remote corner of the dank Slytherin Common Room with a few students scattered about. It had been sexy and arousing and exciting precisely because she was an expert and we could have been caught by a prefect at any time. That girl, who shall remain nameless, taught me everything there was to know about the female human body and where and when to touch to get a desired response.

But, alas, I digress. The thing about kissing is that it's different with each person you're doing it with.

Well, this kiss with Hermione Granger blew all the previous ones out of the water.

Hell, if everyone felt the way I did right now with their _own _betrothed then I fully intended to take back every bad thing I'd ever said about the Ministry. My closed lips pressed against hers softly, tasting and testing when I found no resistance. On the very contrary, it seemed that her arms slowly wound themselves around my neck and her eyes drifted close, allowing mine to do the same. My left arm curled around her waist, pulling her away from the door and closer to me, and my right hand found itself buried in her heavy curly hair. It was slow; it reminded me of lazy afternoons and short rain showers and cat naps. No rush, no rush, now that I had her pressed up against me.

She sighed, and just that movement allowed me to do more.

Now, she was open-lipped, so I deepened the kiss. I don't think she noticed when I pulled us a little ways from the door so that I could tilt her head farther back to give myself the advantage. She kissed back with a lazy ferocity that I didn't think that she had in her, her hands pulling me closer than close and licking _my_ lips with that _tongue_ in a slow sensuous. I couldn't believe that I didn't _care_ that I was kissing Hermione Granger as if it was something we did regularly, as if…we were really a couple. I was losing my breath and losing my mind. I had to pull away.

"Granger," I muttered as I wrenched my lips away from hers.

I settled for raining kisses down her jaw line and unto the soft skin of her neck. She shuddered and I fought to regain normal breathing patterns. Then as if she suddenly realized what she was doing and who she was doing it with, her arms flew from my neck and she shoved me away hard.

Silently, I looked at her.

Granger was breathing hard and from what I could see in the shadows of the porch, spots of red were spattered on either cheek. Her wavy hair was messy and rumpled. It looked as if brown clumps stuck to the back of her sweaty neck. Her lips were just a _little_ rosier than usual and her tanned arms were crossed over her chest in a protective manner. I could have snickered, she looked so…_confused_.

"Y-You!" she whispered loudly in the dark, pointing a trembling finger and sucking in a hasty breath. I suddenly smirked – I was the one who had gotten her so shaken up and I was incredibly proud of myself.

"Me?" My voice was all bland innocence even as the smirk on my face widened.

"Yes y-you!" She repeated the words that I had said earlier in a reproachful manner. My smirk was threatening to push my ears out of the way to broaden out fully. I shoved my hands in my pockets.

"You asked a question, Granger." I shrugged my shoulders casually and began to turn to walk off the dark porch and into the moonlight. "I simply answered."

I glanced back at her one last time, huddled in the shadows with wide angry eyes and crossed arms. Like an adorable spitting cat. I shot her a last smirk before walking forward with a whistle on my lips. This ridiculously pleased feeling was…_good_.

"I'll be over sometime tomorrow. As always, it was a pleasure."

I waved over my shoulders and, feeling immensely satisfied with that large grin tacked on, Apparated home.


	15. Study Partner

Author's Note - Updated November 29th 2011. I should be completely done reworking this story by the end of December. Latest, mid-January. Thanks for all your lovely reviews, people! I'll keep it going just for you guys. Remember that Dean and Luna's story is already completed, and that Ron and Padma's story has just begun so check those two couples out. There's discrepancies (cellphone usage vs Plunko's for instance) that I haven't gotten around to fixing. Note: none of my MAM stories are DH compliant. At all.

Happy reading!

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**Fifteenth Cycle**

**Study Partner**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

_Why did he do it?_

The question still rang in my mind as I was taking a shower the next morning around 10:00, after being up for four hours. The hot water that shot out of the shower head created a steam to match the fog of confusion in my mind. It was crazy; it was loony and insane and good heavens, I hadn't known he could _do _that but I hadn't stopped thinking about that wretched kiss from last night. And I was a crazy girl for allowing it to happen in the first place.

_Why did **I** do it?_

I definitely participated. I winced as I reached for the bar of fresh-scented soap – I did a great deal more than 'participate'. I was an active and willing partner, truth be told. I didn't know. And he'd answered the question hadn't he? I began to viciously make it foam up the loofa. Actually, it could be that I knew that I wouldn't be able to move so I'd just given in.

_Really, I couldn't have stopped it sooner if I had tried!_

I groaned to myself and paused in my ablutions just to relive that kiss. I had two experiences to compare it to – Ron and Victor Krum. Malfoy's hard body pressed up against mine, the look in his gray eyes (they changed color!) in the dimness of the shadows that the porch had cast...I still couldn't believe I had responded to something like that…or had responded like that. His lips had been incredibly inviting and when he had first pressed them against mine, I had been frozen in place for a little while. And then I'd been particularly _not_ frozen. My mind had been frozen because it was the singularly most **surreal** situation that could ever have taken place between Malfoy and me.

_But those blessed lips…_

I didn't even like him.

I mean, I could like him…right?

And I probably would like him. Eventually.

But the way he had just crowded me against my _own_ apartment door had given me no chance to escape…and even then, I really don't think I would have escaped if I'd had the chance to do it. I Maybe I'd been waiting to see what would happen, partially hopeful and fearful at the same time. But then his arms had wrapped themselves around my waist, and I just _responded_. And it wasn't one of those passionate and lusty kisses that many heroines of romance novels usually have; it was really slow and deliberate. Like he knew what he was doing! Which _really_ infuriated me because my mind had left the building altogether for as long as possible. It was ridiculously familiar – I had felt as if it _weren't_ the first time and as if I had _all_ the time in the world to kiss Malfoy like that. It was crazy and stupid and pure idiocy and entirely nonsensical but it was **true**.

_I am going to go crazy if I keep thinking about this._

I frantically started scrubbing hard at my tan arms and shoulders, reaching over to soap up my back and trying to keep myself from thoughts of that kiss. I knew myself, and I knew that I would agonize over this until I saw him again. The words "stupid ferret" kept rolling through my mind, and I thought ruefully that I would rather dive into my books and resurface every three years than face Draco Malfoy again. I reasoned that maybe I could put off the meeting as long as possible by leaving the house until nightfall, then decided that wouldn't work since Malfoy would surely just wait for me to come back. He was _just_ as persistent as I was, as I had seen in the club when he refused to behave. My mouth soured as I continued to get clean in the hot water.

_The problem with that? He's coming over again this afternoon._

I was going to be screwed for the following reasons: (a) I had no idea when that jerk was coming over (b) The new order of Healer textbooks had arrived long since and I hadn't so much as read them a third time and (c) I didn't want to end up kissing like last night simply because if one kiss had such a hold in my mind, another one would certainly not help. I dropped the loofa back in its place, and let the water run so I could get back to my musings. But it would all be solved as soon as I sat down since my books had a magical hold on me, both metaphorically and literally. As soon as I began to read, I would get distracted from my numerous issues.

_Alright, I've got a plan._

**oo**

"So", I muttered under my breath. My voice came out a bit muffled since I was chewing on a quill. "In review, the most basic way to completely heal a patient is through potions. Potions work internally to correct damage to the body, and eliminate the mistakes that are apt to be made with the wand when a Healer is attempting to nurse a magical or non-magical patient back to good health."

I'd never kicked the habit of talking to myself and hearing the information – even if it was me saying it – always helped. I pulled the quill out of my mouth to add a footnote to the 3 ft roll of parchment that was curled on my floor desk since I was sitting on some pillows on top of my carpet. I hastily scribbled the notes down, and then scratched my head before going back to reading.

"Potions have the ability to-"

I paused as my doorbell rang. _Who could that-…No._ I wrinkled my forehead slowly with a look that was suspicious and dubious at the same time. A part of my mind that wasn't mine own flared to life.

_Oh, heavens._

I shot up straight and my brown eyes widened in disbelief. He was early.

That bubble that was Malfoy started to take on new proportions in my mind. He was feeling happy…no, wait…it was more like satisfied. _I would know that cockiness anywhere..._ It was him! What was I going to do?

"Blimey!" I looked down at my clothes and kicked fully into worry mode.

Now, worrying about what had happened last night was a fairly good thing. That kind of worrying was logical and normal and was supposed to take place. Who wouldn't worry about that? But the second issue was what to wear because I didn't know what he had come for. He hadn't specified when he had wanted to come over and so I hadn't thought to…dress appropriately.

Light pink sweats and dark purple tee-shirt and a red hand-band. It wasn't a crime to never match, was it? Ginny wouldn't be completely disgusted by this look, would she? I wrinkled my nose fleetingly - I knew that I was a bit of a mismatching misfit at the moment, and knowing Malfoy, he would be dressed in his usual finest. But who cared about what he thought about what I wore? He'd never liked me in Hogwarts when I'd dressed decently everyday! But then again he could better ridicule me if I didn't look or act like I had my entire act together-

The doorbell rang again.

"Alright," I muttered to myself as I quickly knelt and started feeling around for my wand. My eyes frantically searched while my hands were busy reaching around. "I'm coming!"

_Where did that wretched thing get off to?_

After I changed, anyway.

I had to get into a good pair of sweatpants at the very least. I stumbled out of the bathroom, pulling them on over the shorts and ripping off the headband. I had a disturbing feeling that I was forgetting something very important; something essential but I had no idea what it could have been. I tried to shake off the bad feeling and hurried to the door. Hastily, I swung it open with a readily smug look on my face, being prepared to play it off as if I wasn't nervous or disgruntled by his presence at my house. The smug look was replaced by one of suspicious horror as my eyes encountered something that not many people have ever had the chance to see.

_Oh my._

Draco Malfoy in sweats. He did _not_ look his usual 'put together' self. He looked the exact opposite, as if he had stopped to…to stay. His gray sweatpants and black sweatshirt was too casual for going out to a bookstore or a restaurant. So did that mean that-

"Didn't your parents ever teach you that it's rude to stare at people, Granger?"

I had been so caught up in thinking that I had almost forgotten that Malfoy was still there. He had a faint smirk on his face, and I was getting mighty tired of being laughed at although the afternoon had just begun and he had only just arrived.

"How do you manage to get out in the morning?" I clapped a sweet smile unto my face as I surveyed his casual stance on my porch. "It's obvious that you're head is far too large for the bedroom door."

Surprisingly, Malfoy laughed out loud, managing to keep his relaxed stance intact as his head dipped forward to chuckle into his chest.

"So are you going to invite me in? What happened to common Gryffindor courtesy?"

His head tilted to the side and he focused a dazzling smile at me. I glared into the brilliance - there was no that smile was going to get him into my house. Better to play dumb.

"Huh?"

"Granger."

There was a pause as the choice between playing along and calling my bluff was reflected in the way his face creased and settled unto a dubious look. I kept my face blank though I wanted to grin. A hand gestured downwards at his casual clothes.

"It's obvious that we're not going out if I'm dressed like **this**."

"And?"

He sighed as if his point should have been obvious to even a dunce by now.

"That means that I'm coming in."

"Coming in?"

"Yes…" Malfoy spoke as slowly and carefully as he would do an especially dumb three year-old. The large pale hands stuffed in the pockets of his sweatpants seemed to twitch in annoyance but his face only reflected the utmost patience. An idea was beginning to take root in my head. "I'm coming into your house."

I adopted a simple look and pursed my lips, then inwardly enjoyed the look of irritation that quickly crossed that pale face. I vaguely wondered how long he would put up with it.

"But…" I raised a hand to cradle my face, and tapped all five fingers out on my cheek in an annoying manner that I had seen Pansy Parkinson do in Potions our fourth year. "But who invited you over?"

"I did."

I wrinkled my eyebrows and sighed as if I still didn't understand how that pertained to me. Playing the dunce was surprisingly easy once you got the hang of it and I enthusiastically got even deeper into the role. I blinked slowly at Malfoy, still standing outside on my porch.

"I still don't understand."

"Granger, this has gone on far too long." His blue-gray eyes were beginning to show impatience and his silver blonde hair was glinting at me as if attuned with his feelings. "Just let me in."

"But you haven't explained it fully to me," I said and pouted in what I hoped was an infuriating childish manner. "I didn't ask you to come over today."

I absently picked at imaginary lint on my bright orange tank top then returned my gaze to Malfoy expectantly. All I got in reply was a sigh and a glare.

"Don't play with me and don't play dumb either."

I nearly laughed at the angry look on his face and the bubble that was Malfoy emitted angry sparks in my head. But I managed to keep my face deceptively tranquil.

"Maybe it would be best if you gave me three good reasons to let you in."

"You're purposely being dumb for no reason, Granger."

He huffed angrily and pulled his hands out of his pockets. He counted his three good reasons on one hand with a disgruntled look on his face.

"Firstly, you're wasting valuable time."

He smartly did not specify _whose_ time was being wasted and I raised an eyebrow. He plowed on ahead through his speech or rant, whichever most effectively classified what it was he was doing, with an irritated look still in place.

"Secondly, as an obsessive bookworm freak princess, you feel the most urgent need to study for your Healer examinations at least three times. The faster you let me in, the faster you could get to work."

_Very true._

But I had to break out of my imbecile role to give Malfoy a very dubious look. He wasn't exactly the recipe of peace at the moment.

"And how does having a distraction in the house help me study?"

"You didn't let me finish," he said while glaring. "What I was _going_ to say before I was interrupted was that I could possibly be of some help in your studies since I was something of a Healer during the War."

Immediately, I dropped the dunce act. I had heard that after Dumbledore's…death, Malfoy had been reluctant to enter in to any combating arena with anyone from the Order. Though we all know now what really happened behind Professor Dumbledore's death, Harry would have finished Malfoy off if he had laid eyes on him in those immediate months, as would have many loyal to Dumbledore and his dream. And Malfoy had always been a bit of a coward in school so we had all guessed that those were his reasons for staying away from the battle field.

But, later on and quite unexpectedly, we had learned that Malfoy was an experienced Medic for the Dark Side. Ron's words on the subject when we had found out were explicit, concerning words and phrases such as 'bastard' and 'murderer' and 'helping killers' and 'up his', all spoken in less than 60 seconds at sporadic intervals. Harry had looked as if he couldn't care less because he truly didn't, in those days anyway. If Malfoy's reputation were true, then maybe he would have some non Dark Magic methods to help me because though many think I'm smart, and it is the truth, I still needed to cram as much as possible.

"So?"

Oh, whoops. I had totally forgotten that Malfoy was still in front of me glaring as I thought hard about letting him voluntarily into my house. All of his reasons were valid so I guessed that I would acquiesce.

"Sure." I swung the door open partially and stepped behind the door to let him in. "Come right on in."

"Hmph," Malfoy sailed right past me and stopped in the hallway as if I were a servant and not the owner of the house.

I rolled my eyes as he tried and failed in looking like this was his kind of area, and that gold and maroon really did suit him. My living room was less than 6 feet from the front door, but Malfoy seemed to be waiting for me or for my approval to enter. _Good_, I thought to myself with satisfaction and moved confidently to lead him into the living room. He slipped his shoes off before we entered the cluttered living room. My heavy books were still scattered over my floor and the gold and dark red pillows that I had piled around my spot looked as if they had been at one time placed in a neat circle but were a little out of shape now. My parchment was still curled up on the page that I had been working on.

"I see you've been hard at work, Granger."

I nodded, already feeling the call of my textbooks. I looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to shrug out of his sweatshirt since it was very warm inside. He looked right back at me with a quizzical look on his face.

"What?"

"Aren't you going to take it off?" I looked back at him, just as puzzled. "It's only going to get warmer in here since I like to keep it very well heated."

"Oh," he answered with surprise as if he'd forgotten momentarily and my suggestion reminded him. "Yes."

He stripped off the white sweatshirt, his arms pulling the bottoms up and over his head smoothly and then carelessly throwing them on the floor next to the work table. I turned away to drop down on my pillows on the floor and fluff them up about me. The sunlight from the outside illuminated the room and warmed my face, giving me more than enough light to read comfortably.

I settled down quickly before realizing that Malfoy wasn't next to me.

"Malfoy," I said turning to see what he could possibly be doing. "What are you-"

I was stunned into silence.

For some reason that seemed obvious to him and mystical to me, Malfoy had felt the need to strip off his shirt as well. He was the same glowing pale everywhere it seemed, and he was standing and looking down at me from a height that seemed immense. From my vantage point on the floor, his body was sculpted like that of a swimmer. None of the bulky muscles that a lot of guys (ahem, Viktor Krum) liked to sport, but simply definition. It was more of a body that was stripped of extra fat so that his muscles were easily seen, and toned to the right degree.

And God knows I've seen enough shirtless men to be able to judge them properly.

Because he was standing partially in the pool light of warm and golden sunlight that my curtain was letting in, the trademark silver blonde hair was shimmering and the golden rays seemed to illuminate the entire left side of his body. Good God, the world was _literally _working with him to create this perfectly photogenic moment. His long pale torso tapered down into a straight but narrower line, ridiculously reminding me of some sort of torpedo. And that V, the glorious indenture that started on either side of his waist and wound slanted down at an angle, led my eyes straight down to-

_No._ My eyes widened in horror – what was I doing? _I will not go there. Hermione Jane Granger, you will **not** go there._

Unfortunately for me, my eyes refused to stay shut and my eyes once more glued themselves to his torso. I don't doubt that my brown eyes bulged nearly out of my head and that my mouth was left hanging in the air for the space of a full 45 seconds before they slowly clanged shut.

Draco Malfoy was completely dazzling.

My thoughts truly tried to veer back to the lovely textbooks of knowledge open on the desk in front of me, but a shirtless Malfoy was not cohesive to well-spent studying time.

"M-Malfoy!" I sputtered and twitched and struggled to keep my voice careless and causal, as if he wasn't reminding me of the kiss last night or giving me slight shivers down my spine. "What do you think you're doing?"

"You asked me to take it off." He looked down from that great height and answered as if that was the most singular obvious thing in the universe. The sun continued to light him up from behind, keeping the pale perfection of his skin and lean muscular shape painfully obvious. Even the sun was doing me over, damn it!

_Of course,_ his smug facial expression seemed to say. _Isn't it obvious?_

Malfoy dropped down smoothly to the floor, with his knees bent and his back ramrod straight. His bare arm brushed against mine and I skittered back as if electrified. He looked at me with a delicately arched eyebrow, as if I were acting like an imbecile. I couldn't stand him, with that look on his face that didn't think anything was **wrong** with the current situation.

"Well, put it back on!" I screeched. "It's not _that_ warm in here!"

"I'm sorry." His face seemed totally sincere and perfectly bland but he was surely testing me on purpose. "Is it bothering you?"

I looked at him dumbly.

"'Is it bothering you?' he asks me?" I say angrily. "Yes! Yes, it is goddamnit!"

_Am I not making myself clear enough?_

Faster than he could blink (and since he wasn't trying to get clothed of his own volition) I leapt up and backwards away from him to hurry to my couch and snatch his sweatshirt and the white tee-shirt he had been wearing. I turned around and threw it at his face before turning resolutely away.

I heard him chuckle, and then I heard the rustling of clothes.

"Are you decent yet?"

"Decent?" He asked and I could imagine one eyebrow arched a telltale twitch of his lips. "Malfoys are _always_ decent. Decorum is our middle name."

"Answer the question, Malfoy."

A lengthy pause.

"I'm as decent as you want me to be."

I rolled my eyes but was still afraid to be struck down by the dazzling sight of a shirtless Malfoy. Last night had been proof enough for me that my mind took some time to kick into working mode when he was around, seeing as it took me an amazingly long time to stop that bloody kiss.

So I turned at top snail speed to see him with his tee-shirt on.

I breathed a sigh of utter relief and I felt the blood return to my face in one whoosh. Malfoy's pale face was extremely snug, his lips turned into the smallest of smiles and an all-round pleased look was on his face.

"Are you going to glare at me all day and huddle by the couch like a scared little witch, or are you going to sit down so I can help you study?"

"You are a piece of work." I huffed angrily and scooted over to the other side of the table to sit.

He shifted forward fractionally but I was already so jumpy, that I leapt back involuntarily. He looked at me a little oddly but otherwise made no comment. Instead, he enlarged the table with his wand and pulled the heaviest textbook toward him. He bent his golden head a little, allowing the silver blonde strands to once more be a focus for the sunlight behind him attractively though because he was tall, he could still see me a bit clearly if he inched up a bit. I stood indecisively briefly, and then sat myself gingerly on the carpet. For a few minutes, there was silence.

_I am going to be in a completely topsy-turvy mood this afternoon,_ I thought to myself while staring at his glowing hair with not a little bit of jealousy. He really needs to tone this glowing thing down a bit – it was wearing me out_. _I sighed. _Why's he here? He doesn't seem to want to go anywhere…odd bloke. So it's just studying then? It's a good thing, I guess, since I hadn't been ready for **anything** when he'd arrived. And he hasn't mentioned the kiss yet! _I bit my lip as a horrifying thought entered my head, and I flushed pink accordingly. _Does this mean that it wasn't good? That **I** wasn't good? I mean it has been years since I've kissed someone what with that crazy old coot Voldermort and danger and all that yet…It couldn't have been me, could it? But he moaned at the end…that's a good sign, isn't it? Or is it? But_-

"So."

His tenor rung out in the imposed silence of my living room and it cut off my long train of tiring thoughts.

"You can just ask me questions about anything since I'll be sitting right here for as long as you want me to."

He looked up to see me nod then dived back into the book.

"Are you sure?" I asked tentatively.

"Granger," his voice spoke mockingly. "I'm Draco Malfoy – I'm **always** sure."

Because he wasn't conceited enough, he ran a hand through his hair after that statement.

I was sorely tempted to stick my tongue out at him but I refrained from doing that as well as giving him a reply. Instead, I tugged another text over to me to begin my reading as well.

**oo**

Three hours passed by and the sun was just beginning its descent before I even thought about looking up to check that my house hadn't been cursed to smithereens around me. Malfoy had been pretty useful at the beginning but I'd soon sunk in to silent reading. The late afternoon sun was a pinkish yellow that came in through the still open window on the far opposite cream wall, and a light breeze was blowing my rainbow curtain backwards. It was the soft time before sunset when the sun was still hanging in the side, and painting the sky with as many different hues of soft pink, violet, orange, blue and gold as possible.

My eyes felt a little dry from all the reading, and because I hadn't shifted my body in many minutes, my back needed cracking and my arms were stiff from holding the book in place for so much time. I saw my usual dark red carpet and the strewn maroon and golden pillows around me. Ascertaining that nothing was indeed wrong, I lifted my eyes to the right and I saw my couch in the exact same condition as I had left it, clean and neatly made up with pillows in their proper places. It was the only remotely neat place in the living room, and I felt the pressure to clean descend on me at that exact moment.

But then I looked straight up to see Malfoy sitting on his pillows with both elbows resting on the floor table and his chin cradled in his hands. He was looking straight at me.

"I was wondering when you'd notice me," he said in a soft voice. His amazingly mild tone drained me of much of the anxiety that had filled me about a second ago. For some odd reason, he reminded me of a little boy as he sat there. "I even made a bet with myself. I bet that you would move before sunset, and I was right."

"Though that's a very easy and broad guess to make," I pointed out with a matter-of-fact tone, "I guess you were right."

He smiled. I smiled right back.

And then wondered why that was becoming easier around him.

Which of course made me get up rather quickly and check to see that my mental walls were quite intact.

"I have forgotten my manners it seems," I said softly and slowly got to my feet and looked down upon him. "Would you like anything to eat or to drink?"

"You know," he said thoughtfully. "Pumpkin juice would certainly not be a bad idea at the moment."

I walked to the kitchen to get the drink manually, as well as get him a snack. I fixed myself a cup as well. I used the levitating spell to magic everything back to the table. He had rearranged himself, placing his back up against the bottom of the sofa so that he could have something to lean on. The table had been left where it was and I carefully placed the items on it so I could lay myself back on the sofa in the same position. But just because the atmosphere was comfortable didn't mean that I wouldn't give myself a good two feet of space, after all, that kiss was still on my mind. But after a little bit of time, we started to munch away companionably.

"You didn't have any questions," Malfoy said after a few minutes.

I looked up at him and he was looking around the room, seeming to observe the different colors that the setting sun was splashing against the cream walls and the carpet and the light pink couch. When his face threatened to dazzle me again, I looked away from him.

"Not that I thought you would, since you're always right. But to be proven wrong by the almighty Granger yet again..."

He chuckled and I looked away from him to something mundane, something that was a little less alarming and a little more comfortable than Malfoy. This damned bond was making me feel _relaxed _and _calm_ and _at home_ with him.

And I wasn't happy about it!

"So if you knew that I would be okay for studying by myself then why did you come?"

I saw Malfoy finally stop looking around the room to turn to me out of the corner of my head.

"Just because I could."

There wasn't any way that I could respond to that.

"Oh."

"Well, we're supposed to spend some quality time together. We can do this instead of dinner whenever one of us doesn't feel like going out. I'm always willing to be your silent study partner."

He winked at me and continued on.

"Quality time for you is in direct relation to the number of books you manage to memorize in a given time." He smirked with an uplifted eyebrow, and then returned his gaze to looking at all the colors. I looked down into my lap now. "Besides, I didn't want your brain to overload like the time we went to the bookstore. We can't have you falling out of cars and being sprawled out over sideways, can we?"

He obviously couldn't have kept quiet about that for long. I lifted my eyes to glare at him, and because the surprises simply _refused_ to end today, his face was exactly on my level and less than an inch away. His smirk had turned into a warm crooked smile, all lips with just a hint of his pearly whites in the midst. His face seemed a little bit more open than usual; his porcelain skin refused to stop glowing and his eyes were the blue-gray that they usually took on at ordinary times like this.

With my breath gone, I couldn't even smile back. We needed to set some rules about proximity because I simply couldn't function at this lower level of capacity on a regular basis.

"You know," I managed to croak out after an eternity of struggling to breathe and appear calm at the same time. I tried to move my head back and found myself awkwardly positioned. It seemed that I would be trapped yet again by his presence, though all he was doing at the moment was leaning forward and looking in my eyes. "You're going to have to stop surprising me all the time like this."

He looked curious.

"Like what?"

_Good question, Hermione._ I just shook my head and gestured toward his cup of bright orange pumpkin juice.

"Never mind. Just drink up."

"No 'never mind'," Malfoy said in a goading voice. "Like what?"

He hadn't moved an inch and my mental barriers were starting to falter. So far, I had been successfully blocking out the Malfoy bubble. But now it swelled slowly, pushing out my mental barriers and gently breaking down my walls. It was overwhelming me gently and pushing me into replying.

"You're going to have to stop surprising me like this."

My hands came up to push his shoulders backward and with a surge of strength, at least a foot away. My smirk stretched wider as Malfoy gave way with surprise. He probably had been under the impression that I was a weakling of some sort.

_Good,_ I thought with satisfaction. _I'm getting some space for myself._

"And we," I made gestures that included both of us in its rounds, "are going to set some boundaries."

My hands released his shoulders as soon as I deemed his face was in no danger of connecting with mine.

"There will be no more invasion of space." My hands disengaged themselves from his shoulders and I folded them delicately over my chest. "You are going to leave substantial space between you and me. What happened last night was a spur of the moment thing."

I didn't give him leave to question me or to answer the back. Instead, I sprung up to my feet and walked away to the entrance to the hallway, with my front door lying beyond it.

"And now that you've done what you came to do, I'm kicking you out."

When I looked back, he'd stood and was stretching and smirking as if something that I was doing was amusing.

I frowned at him from the entrance and put my hands on my hips. He should have been taking me seriously. He pulled his sweatshirt on and ambled towards me. When he brushed past me, the same stupid frisson of…something shot up my arm. I barely kept from cringing away from him and flattening myself unto the wall and while he put on his shoes.

I squared my shoulders and made a face before getting past him to open the door. His shoes were on and he was standing across from the door and looking at me with that same irritating smile on his pale face. I refused to be dazzled again, and motioned him right through the door with what I hoped was a disdainful look on my face.

But then my eyes strayed to the sky and I stilled.

It was still gorgeous outside. I loved dusk. The setting sun was now dipping down below the horizon, and the soft rainbow of blues and pinks and purples was brilliantly lit. It was sunset, and before long the light would seep away and leave only the dark blue of night. I almost forgot all about the young man standing next to me.

Until he stepped into my line of vision with a look that could only be described as soft before he glanced up at the sunset as well.

I backed up.

"It's definitely about time that you leave," I said loudly and broke the still-forming connection of two people watching the sunset together before anything weird could come of it. We both turned away from the sky and looked at each other once again.

"What, not even a goodbye kiss?" he asked flirtatiously.

"Stop that right now!" I scolded. "And of course that's not happening again, so don't get your hopes up."

Malfoy comically slapped an arm right above his heart, and his face turned into a dramatically hurt one, with droopy eyebrows and lips included.

"I'm hurt. How can you say that?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Good night, Malfoy."

He smiled slowly, the corners of his mouth quirking at the edges and rising up slowly until the smile was spread across his whole face. He was dazzling me again and I was going under like some sort of fool.

"I'm leaving now, but only because I have to. It's been a pleasure, Granger."

"Uh…uh, yes." I tried and succeeded in regaining my outward composure. I held a bland face in place with great difficulty. _This is pathetic. I really **must** learn to ignore his looks. _"Of course."

With the same bland face, I quickly closed in his face the door and sighed loudly in relief. I was a mess, and this day had been one of my 'ditziest'. I never usually made a habit of allowing myself to go for fainting spells or losing breath over a **guy** but it seemed that I needed to build up a resistance to Malfoy.

_You know,_ I though sourly, _you would think those 6 years of hatred and name-calling would have done it by now, but no._

But I wasn't going to let Draco Malfoy get to me.

_If he can dazzle me, it must certainly work the other way around. I just have to find out what makes him…_

…tick.

Yes, I needed to find a way to make him tick.


	16. The Best Laid Plans

Author's Note - Updated December 8th 2011. The double in size has begun. Remember that Dean and Luna's story is already completed, and that Ron and Padma's story has just begun so check those two couples out. There's discrepancies (cellphone usage vs Plunko's for instance) that I haven't gotten around to fixing. Note: none of my MAM stories are DH compliant. At all.

Happy reading! It's almost Christmas!

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**Sixteenth Cycle**

**The Best Laid Plans**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

My eyes opened blearily to the startling white rays of the sun, and momentarily I felt as blind as I had once imagined a new born babe would feel. I wondered what was happening since it sounded like…a shrill bleating? Bleating? But that couldn't be right. I blinked rapidly and waited for sight to return.

It continued.

The room was slowly fading into vision. There came the soft but dark green of my bed sheets at the bottom of my vision, and the alternating silver and green of all four of my bedroom walls. There was the familiar dark tint of my polished wooden bureau with a polish that stood next to my silver door. Except that infernal sound was ongoing. I groaned and slowly sat up on my bed, pressing the heels of my hands against my eyes. When I opened them again, I could see clearly.

It rang again.

Bloody hell, was that useless cellphone finally working? I scrambled to pick it up.

"Who in the name-" I said quickly into the phone.

"Draco." The voice that shouted sounded quite impatient and pretty angry. "Why did it take you so long to pick this phone up?"

I wrinkled my nose.

"Zabini?"

"No other," he said dryly.

"Merlin," I huffed into the phone then took a deep breath to calm down. _We can't very well have the both of us irritated, now can we?_ I took the time to prop myself up on the pillows behind me so that I could gain a measure of comfort. "Is there a reason why I'm not getting my beauty sleep at present?"

"Remember that Pansy's been promoted?"

I vaguely remembered this.

"Yes."

"Well, the International Affairs Department is moving her to Ireland," he said softly.

_So that's what's wrong._

Blaise Zabini was an interesting sort of individual – when I got angry, I got loud. When _he _got angry, he got quiet. My free hand came up to rub at my stubble on my chin absently and I shuffled around in my bed restlessly. But having Pansy moved over to a country that wasn't too far away wasn't a problem so I didn't really understand why Blaise was angry.

"When?"

"She leaves tomorrow."

"How long?"

The deep breath on the other end spoke volumes.

"Four weeks."

I whistled.

"I still fail to see how that could be a problem - you're a wizard, aren't you? With an Apparition license."

"Unlike you, who have so much free time that you can bother your betrothed whenever you'd like, we both work. It's not like I can waltz in whenever I want to, as I do now."

I settled myself even more comfortably into the dark green sheets.

"And you're just going to have deal with that, old boy. I only have three hours tops with Granger as it is, you know. And I might be a little tired but I can deal with it. I can't imagine you won't take time to make time to be with her."

Silence and then a sigh.

"You know I hate to whine. Pansy's just really apart of my life now, you know?"

Boy, did he sound dejected. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought he'd lost something dear. I settled even further into sheets for what might be a long counseling session.

"Worrying makes you form wrinkles early," I barely kept myself from yawning into the phone. "At the risk of repeating myself, all will be well. You know the boys and I will distract you, besides."

"Wrinkles?"

He laughed.

I yawned aloud.

"And why are you wasting time talking to me when you could be spending time with your girl on her last day here?"

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

"Daddy," I grinned over the phone like some sort of fool.

"Sweetheart," my father's quiet but welcomed voice came over the phone line. "Your mother tells me you've got it!"

Let me first say that today was Sunday, and that the 'it' in question was a gorgeous white vase with blue patterning in the form of thorny vines and roses that I had asked my parents for over two weeks before this arranged marriage incident but had forgotten in all the rush and clamor that was currently my life. It did not go with anything in my house, and the perfect white clashed dreadfully with the cream colored wall behind it but the vase was gorgeous.

My father was a genius and an excellent gift-giver.

I marveled over the thing, fussing with flowers I'd picked up from a local florist to brighten up my living room.

"You know that I love you, don't you?" I all but cooed. "I really really do."

He chuckled.

"How are you getting along?"

"Good, and before you ask about Malfoy, I'll tell you that he's actually been very good. We're getting along well these days."

_Getting along well is an understatement_, I thought to myself wryly as I thought back to that kiss the night before yesterday.

"Good," my father said gruffly. "You let your mother know the moment anything happens."

"I promise," I said into the phone. "So how's the office been holding up?"

"Everything is going well," he said, "and the new receptionist brings cookies or muffins to your Mum and me once a week _and_ she gets along well with everyone else."

She sounded like just the kind of person the office needed.

"Everything's good over here." I heard my Mum's irritated voice in the background and my dad chuckled into the phone. "Would you like to speak to your Mum? She looks like she's going to stop making my eggs and sausages and take the frying pan to my head if I don't hand her the phone right this minute."

"I love you too, Daddy."

My dad's voice had barely faded from the phone before my mum had possession of it.

"You're father thinks he's a comedian," my mum's irritated voice huffed into the phone. I laughed. She turned away from the phone and said something to my dad then came back sounding a lot less irritated.

"I've just told him to finish making his own breakfast. Anyway darling, where are you putting the vase? And how's the boy?"

"I'm well, the vase is in the living room, and he's actually what I'm calling about." I stopped caressing my vase and turned to walk a little ways and plop myself down unto my couch. "I want to surprise him today."

"Whatever do you mean, dear?"

"He's a very overwhelming person to be around," I said seriously. "And he constantly surprises me. And I want to just-" I shrugged my shoulder as if she could see me, "-surprise him right back. How does one go about 'dazzling' someone else?"

"Hmm." My mum's voice sounded interested and I could imagine her rubbing a cheek with her pinkie, and odd habit she said she'd picked up from a beloved uncle. "Clothes and hair were a start, I suppose. I asked him a lot of questions about himself and I told him a lot about myself, but that doesn't really answer your question, now does it?"

I heard murmurs before my mum came back to the phone.

"Your father says that I was such an interesting person that he couldn't help but be dazzled." Mum sounded very pleased with this answer. "Take a day, an entire day, and take time to get to know him."

If I could get through a whole day with Malfoy without being stunned or left wordless then there was hope for me yet. It was a start.

"I'm sure your natural inclinations to throttle him won't get in the way," my mother observed drily. "This can only help/"

I laughed again.

"It's worth the try."

"Today?" she asked.

"Right after a shower, I think. Thanks, Mum!"

"Good luck, darling. We'll call tomorrow, alright?"

Next I called Ginny at the Burrow. Although these phones had been incredibly adapted to not crack at the first sign of magic, sometimes the shoddy reception did the phone in at the Weasley's home. It helped that the Burrow was relatively new, as the Death Eaters had torn right through their old house. Still, I had to try three times before someone answered the phone over loud crackling.

"Hey Gin!" I said cheerfully into the phone.

"Someone's sounding awfully chipper this morning for eight o'clock," Ginny's voice sounded annoyingly knowing. "What's happening today?"

"Spending some time with Malfoy," I replied easily. "I only know that I'll be asking him soon."

"Who initiated this?"

"Yours truly."

The crackling increased dramatically before I heard distinct squawks and loud exclamations in the background. When my name was yelled over the phone, it sounded like a crowd of people yelling.

"Yes?" I asked.

"When…how?" It sounded like Ron sputtering. "I…don't understand…w-what?"

"About bloody time!" Harry cheered.

"Hermione?" asked a quiet voice that I recognized as Neville's.

"Neville?" I asked amused.

"Sorry, it's a bit hard with them carrying on in the background. I haven't talked to you in a week, 'Mione. And tonight will be a great time to catch up. But that's a good development, isn't it?"

"Me asking Malfoy out on a date? Oh yes, Neville."

"Good. Dean and Luna are giving me a 'thumbs up' which I should indicate to you."

"I don't understand why you all insist on sharing this now." I laughed out loud and he chuckled too. "It's not as if you're not coming to dinner at my place tonight."

"Five fifteen exactly?"

"Yes," I trilled. "Exactly."

They knew how I felt about tardiness. I snapped my cellphone shut, and pranced off to my morning shower feeling ridiculously hopeful and splendidly happy.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

**To D.M.**

**I'm officially inviting you on a date today. You can call it thanks for yesterday and you're lucky since I've never put aside studying for more than an hour if I could help it. Meet me in front of my home at 11:00 A.M. Use the Plunko's note attached to let me know you received this.**

**H.G.**

My first thought upon reading the letter had been that Gryffindor's certainly never wasted time when they made promises. After the glee had worn off, I had sprung into action. Showering and dressing and all of that stuff had taken more time than I had, but I managed to get to her home right before my watch told me it was 11:01. So, now I was standing nervously on the gray sidewalk in front of Hermione Granger's pathway without Granger herself in sight.

I'd brought her a present to commemorate the date.

Draco Malfoy did not do presents. I really didn't. The last time I'd bought a gift for someone – actually the only times I bought gifts at all – were for Mother. She was the onl person important enough to deserve them, in my opinion. Or at least, she _had _been. It's just that I'd been reading in the Blue Suite last night and Mother had come in with this necklace she'd thought would be perfect for Granger and-

Well, one thing led to another. And it was perfect. It was gold, an intricate blooming flower as the pendant, the insides colored a soft peach. The necklace was wrapped carefully in gift tissue and folded into the back of my trouser pocket.

_Malfoys are never nervous._

I was not nervous. I mean, of course she had asked me on a date eventually. She'd had to, really, who _else _would she ask on a date? And there wasn't much that could possibly go wrong today that hadn't gone wrong in the past. In no way was I giddy or excited, either, since it had only been a few hours ago that I'd last seen her. Even if my heart _was _beating faster, it was probably due to the fact that I'd decided on physical activity before I'd taken a bath this morning. And I was certainly not anxious. Maybe it was the fact that she had invited me along on a date, and Granger would never do that ordinarily. Maybe it was that I didn't think that my gift would be to her liking.

_Or maybe it's that I feel like this is going to be the beginning of some kind of good change in our relationship._

It was clear to me that Hermione Granger was not indifferent to me. Yesterday had been one of my most successful endeavors, for I had set out to distract her and had succeeded greatly. Her embarrassment, her shock and her anxiety had been rather palpable, even without the bond, but I doubt she'd felt my satisfaction or she would have kicked me out sooner.

I wasn't in the habit of lying to myself about important things these days and I could easily admit that I wanted Hermione Granger.

I shoved my hands into my pockets and examined myself carefully. The inky black trousers and the heavy cashmere sweater created a nice effect with my hair unbound – I had this on good authority. What good authority, you ask? Malfoys are always gorgeous and as I had departed the gift store where I'd bought the necklace wrapping, a group of seven girls had tripped over themselves and each other on their way to the counter simply because they had been staring at me.

No matter what anyone else might say, vanity is becoming.

_Shoot, _I thought to myself. _She's late._

It was now 11:03 A.M. and Granger was still nowhere to be seen. It wasn't like her to be late, and she was giving me time for anxiety. I'd thought that Granger wasn't the type of girl to be affected by looks but I guess I had been wrong. But I wanted her to only be affected by me. It wouldn't do for her to swoon over every male idiot and macho imbecile in England, and though she was smart, the club scene had proved to me that she was human too. I had promised myself since that ruined dinner at the Italian restaurant when she'd walked out angry that I would use every weapon in my arsenal to change our relationship. I would do everything in my power to keep myself in the forefront of my mind, and I would get on her good list if it killed me.

I fought from fidgeting and settled for flexing my toes in my shoes. Since it looked like it would rain later on in the day though it was clear presently, I had brought along an umbrella and a jacket with me. I checked my watch again and it was 11:04 A.M. now. I looked up at Granger's perfectly white front door.

And then, I saw her.

Hermione Granger stepped out of her front door oblivious to the fact that she was late and I had been waiting. She was wearing very dark blue skinny jeans that seemed to be stiff and left no space for movement to me but moved with her. On her feet were ballet flats, black ones to match her formfitting black turtleneck. She wore no jacket, but instead had a simple black canvas bag slung over her shoulders. She'd let her wild brown streaked with blonde curls cascade down her back in an orderly mess, and the curls were glossy and shone in the mild sun of the morning. Her shell pink lips seemed were glossy as well, but she wore nothing in the way of make up or jewelry. Her clear brown eyes were bright with what looked like excitement as we made eye contact, and her small face glowed. Granger looked incredibly pretty, as well as classy, and I couldn't help but stare for a minute.

But the clothes weren't what got to me and it wasn't her pretty face either…it was just **_her_**. She made casual look smart, classy and pretty. Even the excuse for hair that was usually a whirlwind on a head looked amazing. She could have been wearing a burlap dress that dragged on the floor behind her with a plastic bag as her purse and I still would have been struck at this moment.

While I'd been standing with my mouth wide-open, she'd already locked the door and was walking toward me with a slight smile on her face. I heard the sound of a car stopping behind me on the road but I was still standing on the sidewalk like some kind of fool as I watched her approach. She stopped in front of me and I stood still.

"Flattery really _is_ good for the soul," she said happily with a smile. "Good morning, Malfoy."

For a moment I was confused as to what she meant, but it soon struck me that my mouth was still opened.

_Blast,_ I thought to myself amidst the confusion in my mind. _The roles seem to be reversing before my very eyes!_

She was still smiling and her smile lit up her whole face. It also threatened to keep me in this half-dazed state so I looked away and pulled myself together to manage a similar reply.

"This is supposed to be a 'getting-to-know-you' sort of outing for me," she continued as we stood still. My eyes drifted down to her lips as she talked. "I have until late afternoon to take you around Muggle London – I thought it would be a new experience for you. Is that alright?"

I didn't realize she'd asked a question until the silence had stretched on for awhile.

"Uh…no," I said rather easily. "No. I'm free all this afternoon for however long you want this to be."

"Good." She stopped and I'm assuming she smiled again since I didn't have the guts to look. "A Muggle taxi to Copernicus Park first, while the weather holds out."

What else was at Copernicus Park that we hadn't seen?

"As you wish." I remembered the taxi right behind me, and turned quickly to stride to the taxi cab and pull the door open for Granger. "Ladies first," I said with my eyes glued to the door handle in my hand.

"Thank you," she said and got in. I got in right after her. She leaned forward to speak to the cab driver.

"Copernicus Park, please."

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

_Hah!_ _It's working already!_

I looked over to Malfoy who was staring out of the window with a deceptively casual demeanor on the other side of the cab backseat. As if I couldn't read his moods at the very least, by now. If I were Luna, I would have smiled at him. If I were Gin, I would have flipped my hair. Since I was me, I faced my own window and hid my grin.

_Mum and Daddy, you are both geniuses._That bond was coming in very useful at the moment, since I could clearly sense his anxiety, confusion and even a tiny bit of what smelt like _fear _beneath the surface.

I, on the other hand, had armed myself last night. I had found a very recent picture of Malfoy in Witch's Weekly, and had stared at that face for hours so that seeing him this morning wouldn't stun me into oblivion. It had been amazingly useful – it was almost like I was suddenly immune. I couldn't very well be stuttering like some mooning idiot every time Malfoy decided to invade my personal space or take off his clothes!

It felt lovely to be back in control of all my working faculties. I grinned again and then tried to put on a bland face so I could get on with the day.

"So Malfoy," I said loudly so I could get his attention. He started involuntarily and then he settled back in facing me as if he'd never twitched. His eyes turned toward me but focused on some point on the windowpane next to me. "What do you like to do?"

"That is a _really_ broad question, Granger."

I blinked.

"Not really. I mean, I love to read and reading is only second to wanting to become a Healer. So?"

He smiled, quite slowly and quite nicely. I blinked again.

"Well, I told you before that I'm handling the Malfoy financial accounts and though it would seem like an easy task, my mother and I spent a few months setting everything straight at first. Now that the accounts are in order, my mother has taken over the dragon's share of overseeing the financial side of things. While she deals with allocating those funds, I deal in person with the owners and board members of all involved."

"What kind of businesses?" I asked curiously.

"Well," Malfoy leaned back and stretched, his shoes touching mine. "We own exactly six businesses. Half of those are restaurant chains, each with more than four locations worldwide. Two are wizarding supply stores – we've just become stakeholders in Scribbulus Everchanging Inks - and the last one isn't really a business. The last one is the branch…" he waved his hands expressively, "…the branch corporation, I suppose. Looking at Muggle business models in the past year has convinced me that they are not all daft. I moved to create the 'business entity' that is the face and name of all the other investing we do."

_Well, _I thought dazedly, _that is nothing to sneeze at._

Perhaps he read the look on my face because he chuckled.

"I like to read too but definitely not to the extent that you do. Quidditch is my favorite past time. I love to fly."

"One more Quidditch fanatic?" I asked drily. "Bless your little heart."

"Is it because Quidditch isn't something you can learn by the books, little Miss Granger? Or is it because you're afraid of heights?"

"It is simply a sport meant to watch." I sniffed. "And I avoid heights if I can help it. Where you, the twins, Ginny, Ron and Harry enjoy dangling yourselves hundreds of miles above ground on flimsy pieces of wood, I rather stick to the earth where it's safe."

He smirked and leaned across the taxi cab seat.

"Don't be a sourpuss. It's nice to know you are actually human."

I slapped his arm before I even realized what I was doing.

"Do hush, Malfoy."

"Ouch," he pouted and rubbed his arm and then his heart. "That hurt."

"That didn't hurt."

"It did too," he continued to pout, "and would you like to know what would make it all better?"

Surely, it did not take an overly smart witch to figure that one out.

One of my eyebrows arched and I gave him a look that I sincerely hoped clearly said 'in-your-dreams-ferret-face'.

"I'm certain I know the answer-" His lips quirked upwards suggestively and I rolled my eyes. "-but most definitely not. So let's forge ahead with the questions, shall we?"

**oo**

We got to the park at 11:30 and began to walk to the tree where we'd had our very first meeting when something strange yet totally unremarkable happened.

Someone bumped into me.

Malfoy and I had been kidding around on the smooth pavement of the pathway, not really minding anyone else when it had happened. I had been laughing and looking up at Malfoy when I felt an arm bump into my shoulder, not hard as is usually the case when the person is looking away for you and not soft when the person hasn't judged the amount of free space to move in. It was as if the bump had been intended, purposeful. And that in itself is probably what brought the interaction to my attention in the first place.

"Oh!" I exclaimed with a start midway through my laughter as I turned to apologize to whoever it had been. I pulled my canvas back closer to me and turned fully to look. "I beg your pardon."

Lanky and unusually tanned for the rainy English summer's, the man's dark blond hair fell carelessly past his shoulders. He had low cheekbones and surprisingly full lips, and wore a blue pearl-like earring that seemed incredibly familiar to me. The winning smile he flashed me was large and toothy. I smiled back unconsciously.

"And I beg yours, Miss."

"That's perfectly alright."

We smiled at each other for a fraction of a second more before the man ducked his head respectively and moved on. When I turned, Malfoy looked vaguely superior.

"It's only polite to stop and say something, isn't it," I said easily.

Without a 'yay' or 'nay', he turned and led the way to the tree we usually sat under. He couldn't possibly be…jealous, could he?

I was unsure how to deal with this but exceedingly delighted.

"Malfoy?"

He angled his head toward me for a fraction of a second, but said nothing. Instead, he kept walking silently. I closed my eyes briefly to sense what his feelings were and they were all there, as if laid out in the open for me to see. There was irritation, and a faint sense of disdain (over what I had no idea). But there it was…a flame of jealousy. I hid a smile before I tried again.

"Will you tell me about the Manor?" I tried.

He flicked open the blanket then spread it on the grass while seemingly ignoring me. At any other time, I might have been annoyed. Now I simply looked at him and thought the unthinkable –

_How adorable._

He didn't have to know that though.

"Look," I said in an exasperated voice. "I didn't invite a little boy who pouts when he doesn't have full attention on a date. I invited Draco Malfoy and I would like to have him back before I'm forced to become violent or walk out as a last resort."

His face went purposefully blank.

"I do not _pout_."

"You do too."

"I _don't_."

"Yes Malfoy, you do."

"I never have."

That was a bold-faced lie. I sighed.

"Then what are you doing right now?"

He expelled a breath before suddenly breaking into a sheepish smile.

"Why are we arguing?"

"Arguing?" I said imperiously and my face fell into a very lofty look. "Who's arguing? I certainly am not."

I busied myself with for a very long moment, waiting for him to speak.

"The Manor is an expansive mansion built in the late 1450s. The family annals say that my great great great whatever began laying the foundations after he lost his wife young. It grew in size and grandeur with his second wife, and with each succeeding generation."

I arched an eyebrow as he delivered it in a decidedly didactic manner.

"Now this might seem like a foolish question but are all the rooms stationary?"

Malfoy's face turned thoughtful and his gaze looked past me as he relayed what he knew.

"Hmm…the Manor stays the same, for the most part."

"Really?"

"Well, it has been known to shift. That has only ever happened twice – once when the Manor was under attack and for a few years when it wasn't lived in. Apparently there was a Muggle Civil War in the seventeenth century and the wards failed, leaving the place open to hostile warring non-magical folk. The Manor itself is magic – the Malfoys were a Dark family after all - and it sensed ill will on the compound. The enemy never knew that they were walking into a trap until every hallway they walked through, every room they peeked into was just a different colored version of the last. They were trapped in that illusion until allies came in to finish them off."

I didn't realize I was leaning forward until he stretched. Malfoy rubbed his chin thoughtfully, and relaxed enough to stretch his legs far out on the blanket. His gaze returned to normal and his gray-blue eyes twinkled in the dim sunlight of the rainy day.

"I don't doubt the story, since Father told me that the house is very, very old. One thing is for sure though - there are no such mysterious happenings taking place now."

_What kind of magic would his ancestors have used to make the Manor?_ I thought distractedly. _Lord, it's nowhere as old as Hogwarts but-_

"Granger, your eyes are alight with a hunger for knowledge."

Malfoy chuckled and then continued.

"The Manor is my home but I rarely think about its history." He took a small breath before continuing as if nothing had happened. "Unless you're into the mindless torture of Muggles and enemies of the family and whoever else irritated or interested Malfoys."

"That's wonderful," I breathed as I lay back on the blanket, stared at the sky and thought about magic. "It's nice to be able to trace your family back so far."

He nudged me and turned his head on the blanket to look at me.

"You can't?"

"Not all the way back to the early 1400s."

He shrugged.

"It must be harder, if only because there are so many more branches in a Muggle family tree. Intermarriage isn't really a problem for that population."

I smiled and turned again.

"True."

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

_She's really something._

It was all I could think on the way to the restaurant. She'd insisted that we take a cab, and I was beginning to see that that was because she wanted enough time to question me about everything. Though having Granger pay did not sit well with me, it was clear that her tone brooked no argument. So, today I'd let her pay for everything she wanted to and ask all the questions she could think of.

She questioned me on the small things as well as the large, ranging from what my favorite colors were (obviously green and silver) and what my favorite snack was (banana pasties, which Zabini thought were both rare and disgusting) to what my first word was (Draco) and how long it had taken me to walk (8 months). Aside from the fact that Granger was scared of heights, I learned that _Hogwarts, A History_ still remained one of her favorite reads. She liked chocolate, and hated when people wasted her time. She still mourned her cat, Crookshanks, who had died during the War and thought that cats were good for snuggling. I had seen that cat try to take Weasel's hand off Third Year and I very **much** doubted that _that_ particular cat had been good for snuggling. But I suppose the proverb 'to each witch, her own fancy' applied.

I learned that she actually had a TV in her house – something that Muggles watched 'shows' and 'movies' and even the 'news' on. When she'd mentioned it, I had pretended to know exactly what it was but she'd easily seen through my act.

"Of course I know what tellytissions are," I'd said imperiously, brushing imaginary specks of dust off of my impeccable dark green sweater. "Who doesn't?"

"Television, you mean." She'd snorted so indelicately that the table over listened. "Or TV. You're so transparent, Malfoy."

She continued to laugh as I fought to keep calm and beat down a blush.

She was witty, and quick to laugh with me at all of my little idiosyncrasies. She still thought that I was conceited, and I suppose that my very first word being my own name would contribute to that attitude, but she was willing to give me a chance regardless.

She had thought it was odd that I liked to generally wake up before noon most of the time.

"If I wake up later than 11 o'clock in the morning then I feel as if I've already wasted half of the day," I explained to her in the cab.

"Really?" she had exclaimed in surprise. "I figured that you'd be a 'sleep-now-work-later' sort of bloke. This is news to me."

I had chuckled and she'd quickly thought of a new question to fire off. That had begun the whole round over again, until we reached the restaurant less than five minutes later.

Lunch was a fun affair, though the rain began about midway through. Granger had chosen a café that served hot chocolate and sandwiches, as well as pastries such as croissants and muffins and fruit juice. It was much simpler than I'm used to but it wasn't bad. I realized that I really _liked_ being in her company. Now that she'd loosened up a bit, she was fun and she liked to joke around. I found myself smiling between bites of my ham sandwich.

_And sooner than later, she just might let me kiss her again._

I really hoped she would.

The sweet thought brought a sly smile to my face that went unnoticed by her as she talked about some book. _Book…_book? My hand strayed to the large pocket on my jacket as I remembered the red novel that I had purchased for her this morning. I had forgotten about it until this very moment, and I drew it out of my pocket gently and laid it across my lap. She couldn't see my hands or my lap since she was sitting on the other side of the high table. I gave the gift a once-over to make sure it looked perfect. It was. I forged ahead.

"Granger," I interrupted her book lecture. "I brought a present for you, actually."

Her eyes lit up and she smiled. "Really? Is it a book?"

I said nothing. Instead, I pulled the gift unto the table for her to see.

"It is, isn't it!" she exclaimed happily and her hands came together to make a clapping sound. "Do let me see it!"

"Two parts, actually."

I pushed the thing closer to her, and she tentatively reached out to touch the red wrapping and matching ribbon around it. Her face was arrested by an ecstasy that befuddled me, and I stared at her in extreme surprise. Her fingers pulled the wrapping apart gently, her small fingers barely rustling the tissue and teasing the book out of its tissue covering. _Wow,_ I thought to myself. _The girl's **enraptured** by a book!_

"Oh!"

Her gasp of delight was music to my ears, and the way her lips turned up at the corner made me break into a wide grin. But I stayed silent as I watched her reverently run her hands over the hardcover of the book.

"This is the second one."

She looked even more surprised when I took her hand and placed the decorated pouch in her hands for the necklace.

She shook it out into the palm of her hand carefully, unwrapped the tissue, and pulled the necklace out. Her eyes went wide, so wide, before they went really soft. I can't even describe what it felt like to watch her – I was about ten feet tall all of a sudden.

I cleared my throat.

"Can I safely assume that you like them?"

"Like it?" For a moment, she just stared at me. "Like it? You remembered! How can you just like something like that? And this necklace looks old and beautiful and I've never gotten anything like this from anyone ever before and I-"

I waited for her to finish.

"I love it," she breathed. "I really _really_ love them. Thank you."

In an impulsive move that I never saw coming, Hermione Granger raised herself on her elbows and leaned across the table to kiss me on the cheek. And I, Draco Malfoy, sat there sporting the goofiest smile in the history of goofiest smiles of the world.

**oo**

The rest of the afternoon went by in a happy, kissed-on-the-cheek-by-a-pretty-witch sort of blur.

The only thing that I remember distinctly was one of her excited talks of something she'd received in Muggle mail from her parents that very morning.

"It's a gorgeous vase that my Daddy got me," she'd babbled while I listened through my haze of bliss. "It is snow white with navy blue colored designs of vines and roses stretching along its length. You should see it!"

I believe that I just nodded with that smile on my face.

"It's a Musselini piece, you know."

That was the extent of any intelligent talk that I consciously remember coming from my mouth that afternoon.

"Really?"

By 4:20 P.M. things wound down a bit, and I am a little embarrassed to say that I was tempted to whine and pout like the obnoxious little boy she had compared me to that morning. But I didn't say anything out loud, and that hazy happiness from the kiss on my cheek rendered my almost completely useless for anything but sitting in the cab back to her home. I took off my jacket absently, and looking back on it, I don't really remember why I did. I just did.

Around 5:00 P.M., the Muggle taxi pulled up outside of her house. My faculties finally flew into motion, as I hurried out of my side of the cab to open her door on the opposite side. She grinned at me happily, the book held in one hand and my jacket held in the other. Her canvas bag was firmly in place over her bag. At the time, it didn't register that she was offering me my jacket. She'd paid the taxicab at some point in time, and it had driven off and I suppose that my happiness had still been fogging up my mind and I didn't take it.

Instead, I walked her up the front and faced her on her own white porch.

The after-effects of the kiss previously that afternoon were **nothing** compared to this one.

Hermione Granger initiated it this time – this mind blowing kiss that swept me away with the suddenness and the sweetness of it. One moment she'd just been standing there facing me with a small smile on her face. The next moment she'd been on her tiptoes and I'd thought that she was going to kiss me on the cheeks so I wanted to make it easier for her and...

I am going to attempt to explain what that kiss felt like, the entire world-shaking vulnerability and all that…searing sweetness. It was like…it was like flying on a broomstick towards a sun that doesn't burn, just overwhelms. It was dizzying and incredibly personal and it felt as if I was going to keep soaring higher and higher on my little piece of wood until I was too far away to come back.

Frankly, it was beyond words.

Maybe the intensity of the bond increased with every good thought, every nice feeling, every soft emotion you ever have about the other person. I was literally swept away by the torrent of her thoughts. I could taste her mind…it was an elusive flavor but it was something that I felt I had tasted many times before. It seemed that the kiss was a bond in which I could clearly see her feelings, her delight of the book and the necklace, and her content over a well-spent day and now her intensity in the kiss. I could taste her, the fruity taste of that glossy stuff on her lips.

Her body felt right to me.

It fit. She fit, and we fit, and Merlin I couldn't have let her go to save my own life. All her heavy curls were far softer than I'd ever imagined them to be – I couldn't control my stop my hands from running through it repeatedly.

The kiss deepened in intensity, and the world dwindled down to Hermione Granger for me. She was all-consuming, she was all I could smell and sense at the moment and I fought to put a name to the flavor of her thoughts. And her pleasure lifted me higher and higher, the simple content slowly swelled until every other emotion faded to the backdrop in comparison to the all-pervading happiness she felt with me. And it was me. I felt it too. And then it came to me…_she tastes…she tastes like…golden afternoons…_ I never even questioned the thought but let myself be submerged in feeling. The happiness was born of the both of us, and with my eyes closed I wanted to jump for joy.

A single disconnected thought was buoyed up above the pleasure: _She's mine_.

And then she was gone.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

I flitted into my apartment quickly, leaving Draco Malfoy dazed and trembling on my front porch.

No one had told me the bond would magnify things to such an extent.

To tell the truth, I was just as shaken as he was. That kiss had been altogether different from the first one, though the same feeling of having all the time in the world had lingered. I didn't just sense him – I had been inside of his head. I had felt him. He had been completely open to me – every single emotion becoming exquisitely clear. His irritation that morning over my attention to that other man, the dazed cloud nine that I had sent him on with the impulsive kiss on the cheek, his good feelings spilling over into the rest of the afternoon and a hiccup in his breathing, in his thoughts as he realized that I was kissing him, and then his complete possessiveness. My knees knocked together and I leaned against my door for a moment before making my feeble way to the couch.

_Merlin,_ I thought with a shaky laugh. _Bonds are dangerous things!_

I collapsed upon the couch as if I'd run a marathon of some sort, or taken part in the Triwizard Tournament.

My canvas bag fell unto the couch next to me, and I looked down to see the novel that he'd given me as a present still clutched in my right hand. The gift led me right back to thoughts of the gorgeous Draco Malfoy. _Dangerous territory_, I warned myself. To keep my mind off of the completely vulnerable feeling sweeping over me, my eyes wandered over to the vase within my pretty piece of heaven (my home). I tested the strength of my failing legs, and found that they would last on a 10 foot trip to the vase.

"Ah!" I stroked the piece happily.

I really loved my parents for getting me this gorgeous piece. I have never been one for pottery, but seeing this in a store in downtown London had made me want it. A lot. And my parents were absolute darlings to get it for me. My hands ran over the smooth surface, glossy because of glaze. I smiled happily to myself and ran my hands over it one single time before I heard the doorbell ring.

"What?" I murmured to myself and turned quickly from the vase to face the general direction of my front door. "Malfoy?"

It wasn't automatic to reach for him through the link so I didn't think about doing that first. My eyes fell to the couch and I saw his jacket.

_I must have taken it in_, I thought to myself. It was probably what he wanted, although why he couldn't wait until tomorrow baffled me a little. "I'll just give it to him then."

The doorbell rang again and it prodded me into action. I walked away from the vase, and grabbed the jacket up on my way to the door. A final ring and I opened the door with eyes half-closed and in the process of opening wider.

"You forgot it, Malfo-"

I never had a chance.

The spell hit me in the chest and I flew back the way I had just come, crumpling on the floor of my own living room.

_What the flying fuck?_

I cursed in my head instead of out loud since breathing had become a painful problem somewhere between being hit and landing awkwardly on my soft carpet. My head was facing away from my attacker, and one leg was bent at the knee and pulled in towards my stomach. The other leg was perfectly straight, and my arms were crumpled under me in ways that hurt. In the nanosecond after legging, my War instincts took over and I took inventory of my body. I was fine, for the most part. All parts were in working order, and nothing was broken. But everything hurt.

_Good,_ I thought detachedly.

"Well." There was a voice floating somewhere above my head, and a boot nudging me in the side. My attacker had the advantage. He could see me but I couldn't see him. So I had to bide my time until he came into my line of vision, or until I could figure out what he wanted. I pretended that I was hurt, and moaned to keep up the pretense.

"Hermione Granger, brain of the Golden Trio and brightest witch of her age," the voice mocked sarcastically and the boot nudged me in the ribs.

This time the gasp of pain was half-real – my faculties were intact but that didn't mean that I wouldn't bruise later.

"As expected, you're darling place is resplendent with Gryffindor colors. Would you look at that?"

I had no idea who this person was. I couldn't see him. I couldn't-

_Wait a bloody second,_ I thought slowly to myself. _This voice is familiar. In fact, I heard this voice today._

It was the man from the park – the man with the shaggy blonde hair and the bright blue eyes and sunny smile. The bitter taste of bile filled my mouth.

What on earth was happening?

"I confess that the word is resplendent, you know?"

His voice was now deceptively calm and pleasant; all malice drained from it as if it had never been there to begin with. The tone clashed with his words and I suddenly remembered my wand was in my canvas bag.

_It doesn't matter,_ I thought fiercely. I'd mastered wandless magic during the War and this idiot was no worse than a crazy Death Eater.

"I just came to see what everyone else saw. I wasted precious time following you back here to see what the Golden Girl has. And I really don't see it."

"_Impedimenta_," I whispered an easy spell that would distract him first.

The spell rebounded with a plink that sounded like a coin dropping on linoleum. He had been ready and seeing that my spell had failed, those sky blue eyes glowed in excitement.

He laughed as he kicked me again.

"Do you truly think that I came here with no sort of protection on mind, little girl?" he asked conversationally.

I was suddenly rising up, floating a good five feet above the carpet, and I could see my attacker clearly now. The easy going smile was in place, as if we were talking like friends. My fear began to eat at the edges of my mind.

"And they say that you're a genius. A genius who opens her door to strangers?"

"Expelliarmus!" I shouted desperately. The 'plink' sounded louder and he smiled as if something was funny. "Loco Mortis! Petrificus Totalus!"

"Scared?" the man asked calmly.

He twitched his wand up and down, and my motionless body dropped and rose in accordance. All I could do was stare at him helplessly with wide eyes. My fear was corroding my inherent logic now. I couldn't focus on any concrete thoughts and I wanted to scream, I wanted to call for my friends, my parents or **_anyone_** to come and stop this. I couldn't think at all – I was completely frightened of this man with the friendly smile and an obvious cruel streak. I was still floating in the air when the blonde haired man smiled and then suddenly swept his wand in arc toward my window.

I flew through the air, and smashed with a sickening crunch against the sturdiness of my cream colored wall about six feet above the floor.

My head smashed hardest – I saw dozens and dozens of dizzying white lights in my brain that made it difficult for me to remain conscious. I realized with dread that I was still dangling in the air, because I knew what he would do next. He released the spell, and gravity came rushing over me. As I came down, my feet came in connection with my delicate and beautiful vase, catching it at the mouth and sweeping it down to the floor. It smashed. It smashed…and even in that speedy fall, I remember being incredibly angry over the loss of the one piece of pottery that I had ever really wanted. And then real time caught up to me once again – I slammed into the carpet face first, my chin cracking and the breath knocked out of me as effectively as a belly-flop unto cement. I felt the exact moment of my wrist snapping, my mind turning into complete and painful chaos.

He stood over me with that same friendly smile, the one that I had pulled me into smiling right back at him in the park, and he whispered something that felt an awful lot like Crucio.

_I'm done,_ I thought desperately.

The blood in my veins started to pump faster and faster, rushing around and about while my body started convulsing. Needles were hitting me in strategic spots, right between the eyes and underneath my already bruising ribs. They were dancing an exquisitely painful melody all down my sides, and at my ankles and the insides of my thighs, and right over my heart. I could have laughed then, you know.

_Finished off by a crazed stalker._

My head was bleeding and my heart was going to explode. Every other muscle was fighting to burst from my skin…It struck me with an ironic hilarity that after such a perfect day, such a beautifully perfect day, I would be tortured by some cracked and nutty bloke with an affinity for causing pain. The bones in my body were rebelling against themselves and each other, and my wrist refused to stop pulsating.

_Perfect_, I thought tiredly as my eyes threaten to close under the pain of my snapped wrist. _Just perfect._

And then Malfoy came.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

_She…_

I touched my lips over and over, amazed and blissful and oblivious as I walked away from her house. _We…Merlin._ I was still trembling from the kiss. My knees kept protesting movement as I got farther down the block from her. My elation ran wide and deep, I felt as if I was trembling from suppressed emotion and the emotion was all-encompassing. In fact, I suppose that's why I didn't sense that something was wrong quicker.

_It…_

I kept thinking as I walked aimlessly. I could have Apparated back to the Manor immediately, but my mind wasn't exactly at its clearest or smartest. But even through this haze, I felt a flash of pain.

_Hmm…_

I wondered absently, effectively ignoring the pain. I just kept walking like an idiot, oblivious to what that pain meant until it flashed faster and more insistent.

I stopped on the sidewalk that I was on at that sudden flash of emotion. It was anger and then incredible pain…I now tried to wave away the lingering happiness of the afternoon to let the pain in so I could see/feel it more clearly. I didn't really think it was coming from me since I felt just fine and I closed my eyes and stupidly wondered what it could be.

_Well if it doesn't belong to me, then who-_

And then the pain changed to a familiar blinding fear and then to Crucio, and my eyes widened in shock and resounding fear. For in the instant that my protective senses took over, three things burst through my mind with throbbing clarity: it was Granger. She was hurt. And she was in danger. The next time I opened my eyes, I had been transported back into Granger's home, and what a scene met my horrified eyes.

I was standing behind a man shorter than me, a man whose whole intent was bent on a figure crumpled under the window. There was broken pottery scattered next to the fallen figure, bright white and dark blue pieces that lay randomly. The figure was Hermione. The pieces were of her beloved vase. Those two simple pieces of knowledge were enough to start the fire of blood-lust in my mind.

I remember that I charged the man in front of me, tackling him at the knees and taking him down with a roar that sounded more like beast than human being. I broke his wand first, knowing that without that I would have the upper hand from then on. But after that, I was swept away in the madness. I vaguely recall burying my fists into every inch of flesh that I could find, over and over again, not satisfied with the crack of bone as I connected with his nose or the blood oozing from his lips and trickling from the side of his mouth. The pain that he was suffering was nothing compared to what was invading my mind from Granger though the Crucio had stopped, and I suppose that this is how blood-lust really works – I couldn't stop until there wasn't any breath left in him. I couldn't stop even though Granger was crumpled and in pain amidst the shards of her broken pottery.

I remember distinctly the anger that made it impossible to think clearly, to think above the overwhelming need to **_kill_** this man who had dared to hurt what was mine.

I suppose I remember hearing the entrance of her friends, but it's still all a muddle in my mind. Weaselette tells me that she, Pottyhead, Weaselbee and Thomas had to hit me with four different spells to get me off of that man, and that even then I managed to throw all the spells off for a full minute to claw my way back to his convulsing body. She says that Lovegood stunned me from behind, and that the first four took over from there. She also tells me that the bastardly fucking prick that attacked Granger was in critical condition when he arrived at the hospital, with 23 fractured bones throughout his arms and chest, and a completely shattered face. I wish to Merlin that they had given me about five more minutes with him. There would have been **nothing left**to treat at a bloody hospital.

Nothing whatsoever.

She says that they couldn't get anything coherent out of me for the better part of a half hour, and that Longbottom and Lovegood whisked Granger away to St. Mungos because she had passed out and would need serious treatment for a broken wrist, two fractured ribs and numerous aches and pains all over her body. They tell me that they knocked me out and teleported me to St. Mungoes as well, where I received the strongest Calming Potion and Sleep Potion which didn't start to kick in until twenty minutes. I suppose that it was my rage that prevented the potions from working in tandem immediately. I don't remember much of what happened between from 5 P.M. and on that Sunday afternoon. I didn't wake up until the noon the next day since they kept pumping me with a strong sleeping draught, and I woke up silent and enraged with a worried Zabini, Crabbe, Goyle and Nott at my bedside. I woke up with one idea in my head, cemented by anger and a lingering thirst for vengeance.

_Never again. I will die before I ever let that happen to Granger ever again._


	17. The Gauntlet

Author's Note - Updated December 17th 2011. I didn't get Glee but it was super fun to even attempt to do it! And now that I've set my mind on music...well, we'll see. :) The double in size has begun. Remember that Dean and Luna's story is already completed, and that Ron and Padma's story has just begun so check those two couples out. There're discrepancies (cellphone usage vs Plunko's for instance) that I haven't gotten around to fixing. Note: none of my MAM stories are DH compliant. At all. Happy reading! It's almost Christmas!

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**Seventeenth Cycle**

**The Gauntlet**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"It's better to leave him in another ward," I heard a low male voice mutter. "_Any_ sort of reminder that she's been hurt might bring it out again."

"Merlin," said a young woman's high soprano. "We gave him the strongest Sleeping Draught under the Wizarding sun, and that didn't kick in until a full ten minutes later."

"I know," agreed a second female voice. "And he's awake now after only five hours, and the Calming Potion did absolutely nothing. He's sitting up in bed with his face averted from his friends and family alike. Won't eat, won't talk – 'cept to demand to see her."

"Out of the question," said one.

"We can't," repeated the very first voice I had heard. "Not unless she wants to. And not until she's ready."

I hurt.

I hurt everywhere.

I hurt everywhere even though I was laying absolutely still, and with the hurt came recall. I had been attacked in my own home by a wizard stalker. I had thought it was Malfoy, and had opened the door without taking a real look at who it was that was standing opposite me. And it had cost me, it felt like.

_Bloody hell,_ I thought with my eyes glued shut and my head motionless against the pillow. _This absolutely blows._

I was too tired to take inventory of myself. Taking inventory meant moving to see if anything was out of wack. If the pain was any measure, **everything** was out of wack. The pain rose up again like an immensely strong wave, and I struggled uselessly against it. _It's just too much for me right now…_I sunk under.

**oo**

For the next few hours, I drifted in and out of consciousness. It was hard to stay awake when every five seconds another wave of pain swept over me. When it receded, I would struggle to open my eyes in the little time I had but ache would sneak up behind me and catch me again. But the moments when I was conscious, I slowly pieced together that I was in St. Mungos and that Malfoy was somewhere in the building. He had gone berserk, the rage that the Ministry had discussed in the female papers had made itself apparent and Malfoy refused to be calmed. Potions seemed to have a delayed effect upon him and the Healers were at a loss as to how to keep him still.

It sounded slightly unbelievable.

I also gathered that he had nearly killed my attacker, that the man would be using an awful lot of SkeleGro in the next couple of days and that he would be prosecuted when he was fully healed. His name was Godfrey Williams and he was actually insane, schizophrenic, and had followed me because he had known who I was when he bumped into me in the park. He had no family, or could recall none because the Healers were sure that he had made up the name Godfrey Williams. The Healers suspected that he had done that because he couldn't remember his real name and he had attacked me because my name and face had stuck in his head.

Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle and Narcissa Malfoy were with Malfoy. He wasn't talking to anyone – he wanted to see me. They kept Malfoy in a separate wing from the man since his murderous intent wasn't under control. They kept me in a separate wing from Malfoy because they thought that any sign of pain from me would send him hunting Godfrey Williams again. And there were other patients in the hospital that needed more attention. They couldn't afford one crazy mate running amok to kill another man.

Like I said, I kept drifting in and out of consciousness for the next couple of hours and the next time that I was fully awake and alert, many hours had passed.

I could tell that it was day because the color behind my eyelids was an orange-ish red. It was cool – the light and the wind I mean. It seemed that I was facing an open window, and I could feel a cool breeze wash over my face. It was raining, I think. My head was still on the pillow, and I was waiting for a wave of pain that never came. Instead, I felt sore all over. And in this case, soreness was definitely an improvement.

I tested my eyes, and after an intense struggle that gave me a bit of a headache, I got both eyes open a crack. After a few minutes, I could open them fully. It really was raining hard outside, and it was definitely day.

It probably wasn't Sunday any more.

For a brief moment, I let the fear that that wizard had struck in me wash over. My beautiful broken vase…my bruised body…Malfoy, like an open wound in my mind. His anger was veiled – distant and far off but rumbling all the same – and I was having a devil of a time trying to break down the veil to get to him.

My mouth felt dry but my lips weren't cracked. It felt as if the Healers had put some kind of salve on it.

_Good,_ I thought to myself.

It was one less hurt to deal with. I thought about turning, and then actually tried to do it. Let me just tell you that I will never take moving for granted again, for it took me a full four minutes to struggle to turn over. And four minutes was a _very_ long time.

When I had finally gotten unto my other side, I saw that I was all alone and that there were no Healers in the room. I had no idea how long until the next Healer came in.

_All that work and I'll be alone for a while yet._ I yawned, tried to fight the next wave of exhaustion.

I lost.

**oo**

"I can't believe it," I heard a familiar female voice whisper. "I simply still can't fathom it. How could he have followed them so closely?"

It was Ginny, and even with closed eyes, it was lovely to hear her voice. I stayed silent and blind as I came back into full consciousness, listening to my best friends' voices.

"They never suspected." Harry's voice was low, concerned. "Who would?"

"Malfoy gave that bastard a pretty good pounding," Ron said impossibly loudly. "And I would have helped if I had known just what the hell was going on at the time."

There was a beat of silence. I listened to my friends breathe as I struggled to open my eyes.

"Unbelievable - something like this happening after the War." Dean.

"Indeed," Luna, or at least I assumed it was her, touched my hair. "But Hermione is a strong girl. She'll be just fine – see she's waking up already."

Time to announce my presence.

"Mm?"

My throat felt a little scratchy after disuse for a couple of hours and my voice came out a little faint but still able to be heard. My eyes opened easily to see all my mates hanging around one side of my bed. Harry was standing right next to the bed and leaning against the wall, one heel pressed against the hard surface behind him. The Boy Who'd Lived was angry.

Luna to his left was dressed in black and grey and looking for all the world as if we were at a picnic. She touched my hair again, anticipating my need to sit up before I could voice it. Dean snatched his hands from trouser pockets and leaped forward to help her. I wished he would stop frowning – it didn't make me feel any better.

For that matter, I wished they would _all _quit frowning. Ron looked like a volcano ready to erupt, all fire and movement, where Neville was as still as stone. I was troubled for a moment – it was almost like being back in the War after hearing bad news. I didn't want any of them to ever look like that again.

_Reassurance time,_ I thought dryly to myself.

"Look here," I said louder and a little exasperatedly. "I'm perfectly fine. Stop looking at me as if I am going to shatter into a million pieces if I move even a fraction of a centimeter either this way or that."

"Are you sure?" questioned Ron.

"Of course," I said easily through the soreness. "This is _not_ my funeral and I'm not going to spin off into depression."

They just exchanged looks and looked at me silently, as if I were a bomb waiting to explode. I sighed and a hand slipped to my head to rub it briefly.

"What time is it?"

This ache business was beginning to give me a little bit of a headache. Reassurance time was definitely not going as planned. So to distract them-

"Quarter past twelve," answered Luna. "You slept right into Monday."

"How do you feel? Anything hurt? Bruising?"

"I haven't had time to take inventory," I said with a slight smile, "but very sore. My mum and dad?"

"We didn't tell them."

I breathed a sigh of relief – the absolute _last _thing I wanted was to give them a reason to worry about me a mere three weeks after the fainting spell. Perhaps my relief was visible…everyone managed a laugh.

"What do you remember?" asked Dean.

"That I got home but had Malfoy's jacket," I said softly. "So when the doorbell rang about five minutes after he'd left I thought it was him coming to take the jacket back."

"Needless to say-" I began to laugh but it turned into a pained grunt when the soreness in my ribs expanded uneasily.

Everyone looked at me in concern and I rolled my eyes. _Trying to reassure them is looking increasingly difficult,_ I thought to myself and sighed.

"Needless to say, it wasn't him."

They all shared a collective glance before looking simultaneously at me.

"It took us the better part of an hour to get him to talk," said Harry. His face was crinkled into a look that was distantly surprised. "We had to him with more than _five_ different spells to get him off of that bloke."

I'd heard it but I almost couldn't believe it.

"And even then," said Neville quietly, "it was a near thing. Your attacker – he's in a separate ward with a shattered face and twenty-three bones broken."

My eyes rounded out.

_Twenty three?_

"Twenty-three…" Neville repeated.

"Oh."

When one's avenging fiancé or betrothed swoops in and destroys a man in one's name, I imagine there isn't much to say besides 'oh'.

I stared down at the white of the hospital bed sheets in surprise, wringing my hands as the last minutes of that dreadful encounter resurfaced in my mind. When at last I started to speak, my voice came out quietly and my eyes were glued to the white sheets.

Instinctively, I reached out for his mind again.

"I remember being crumpled at the window, and seeing Malfoy just…_Apparate_ back into the house. Out of nowhere…"

My voice tapered off but a Healer in muted golden robes, standing with a parchment and pen floating in the air next to her, strode in to the room. She must have brought some serenity with her because all the anxiety in the room started to leak away almost immediately upon her arrival.

"Master Malfoy felt what you felt, the bond brought him back to your home." She didn't wait for an answer before continuing. "He's currently in another ward," said the calm Healer, "where Calming Draughts are being administered regularly but are delayed in taking action. He has requested to taking you home as soon as possible, and with such a mild case, you are to be released today."

_ He has requested to take me home?_

When the mental block he was putting up was the strongest thing I'd come against in his mind? He was furious – wall or no wall, I could feel the distant fury. It was the calm before the crackling storm and I was the focus of all of it. Good God, even as I tried to reach out to him the weight of all that…emotion…sent a pain through my head. Was he hurt? Was he bruised? Had his mates left him? Was he angry at me for opening the door or was he just irate in general at the situation-

"Miss Granger?"

I was startled.

"I'm sorry, yes?"

"He's successfully fighting off the Calming Draughts," she said seriously, "and with each administration, it takes an increasingly longer time to take action. He's not immune to them. He's fighting them off so he can stay awake to see you."

She'd as good as said it was my choice.

My choice.

I stared her down.

"Take me to see him."

**oo**

I was too weak to stand up on my own, and so the Healer used the floating spell to get me upright. It was a bit funny, seeing as the hospital gown I wore was extra long and white, dragging on the floor though my toes weren't even touching it. All the guys offered to help me walk but I declined, thinking that being carried in by another male would upset Malfoy. (And Merlin knows that I would hate to be the reason that Harry, Dean, Neville or Ron got hurt.) St. Mungos was a hospital that was much greater in size than Hogwarts since it catered to all of Britain's wizards and witches, and the Muggles who got caught up with magic.

Because of its sheer size, the Healer warned us that it would take awhile to get to Malfoy's ward, a passage made longer because I had to be floated all the way there. The closer I got to the room, the more I began to feel him in my head. He was angry, but his anger was laced with worry.

_If I can feel him, he can feel me. I wonder if…_it had entered my mind sometime before that I could project my feelings to him…that I could calm him just by being calm. Armed with this knowledge, I began to consciously calm myself by taking deep breaths and thinking happy thoughts. It does sound foolish, doesn't it?

Well, it worked.

It was truly exhausting, this conscious calming business. But the calmer I became, the less anger I felt in Malfoy. It was like relaying a message to someone who was already connected to you. Because that's what Malfoy and I were – connected. By the time we neared the door of the room, Malfoy was almost as calm as I was. I smiled to myself, proud and happy about being proven right. Upon reaching the door, Luna and Ginny opted to help me into the room-

-and were immediately stopped by Malfoy.

We opened the door to see Malfoy standing there patiently, as if he had been waiting for awhile. The Healer took one look into the room, conjured six more wooden chairs into the room then she left us in peace.

I freely admit that from that point on I had no eyes for anyone else.

He was wearing a hospital gown, except his came with loose trousers. He looked fine – no bruises and no sign of fatigue. I, on the other hand, was trying not to look like simply floating was draining me of energy.

"I'll just take her from here, ladies," Malfoy said with a charming grin directed at Ginny and Luna.

Malfoy's large hands slipped around my waist easily, pulling me up and off the ground with ease. He pulled me into his chest carefully, and turned to carry me to the bed. I didn't quite mean to touch his face so gently but it was hard to believe that this was the same man who'd been hellbent on killing someone twenty-four hours ago. It's just that hearing that he had broken twenty-three bones in someone else's body had made me think that he would look different. A brief flash of memory – blood dripping down my face, his blond hair unbound as he overcame the attacker – and I found myself blinking rapidly.

"Don't," he said quietly. "You're pulling away."

I didn't know what he meant. I dropped my hand.

His eyes dropped to my face and remained there.

I don't know how I'd gone from thinking of him as a stranger to feeling that he knew my every passing thought. I also vaguely thanked heaven that I'd spent a few hours just staring at his _Witch Weekly_ articles – the view of all that moody angular attractiveness would have overwhelmed me otherwise. Not to mention the directness of his gaze.

His gaze never wavered.

"How are you feeling?"

I managed a smile.

"Much much better. I'm sure I'll be up and about in no time."

When we got to the bed, he laid me down gently and helped me sit up with my back propped up against pillows. Malfoy fussed – yes, he actually fussed – with the sheets and the pillows for a little while, giving me time to relax in the room. I tried on a smile.

"Thanks," I whispered to him and smoothed the sheets out nervously. "I didn't…that is to say, I don't know what might have happened if you hadn't come back earlier. I just-"

"Stop." When I looked up, his face had clouded over. "Don't. What if I hadn't made it back in time? What if he'd done something else before I felt you-"

He fell silent.

"Don't you dare throw all that hard work away that I put into getting you calm," I joked lightly.

His facial expression didn't change.

"Please," I asked. "Please."

There was a beat of silence before Malfoy did the highly unexpected. He sighed a sigh that was at once warm and exhausted, then leaned in to press his face against mine. I didn't have time to be shocked before he spoke drily.

"You're always bossing me around." It was at odds to how gently his hands were cradling my neck. "Every minute you spent recuperating was a day I lost off my life."

For a moment, I closed my eyes and enjoyed this strange closeness.

"Are you two going to ignore us and remain in your own world, or are you both going to explain exactly what happened?"

_ Heavens!_

Good Lord, I'd forgotten we weren't alone. A blush rose up like clockwork as Malfoy pulled away to face the room.

Zabini, and Crabbe were sitting on chairs surrounding a bed on the opposite end of the room while Nott and Goyle were standing next to each other in front of the closed window. And though all of them were dressed impeccably in black, they were actually smiling and none of them looked as worried as my friends.

It was Blaise who had spoken up, looking quite handsome in a coal black suit that made his dark brown skin glow. I caught the glint off of the small silver hoop that he wore in his left ear, and then the glint off the smile he was trying to hide.

Another blush overcame me.

I cleared my throat.

Malfoy shot me an unreadable look before floating a seat as close to the bed as he could get it. When he sat, one of his hands captured one of mine as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

I tried to control just how widely my eyes were expanding but I doubt I was successful. Good thing he simply decided to answer his friend's question.

"Thank you," he said simply.

Malfoy turned away from me and looked directly at Harry, Ginny, Ron, Neville, Dean and Luna who were now seated. His voice was deeper than usual and gruff with concealed emotion, though his pale gorgeous face seemed unruffled on the outside.

"I don't quite think I would have stopped to take her to the hospital until I killed him. Even though she was… " I watched with large eyes as his look darkened and his face twisted into something ugly.

"None of that," I muttered and squeezed the hand that was holding mine. "Not after all that energy I just depleted to get you in a manageable mood."

His eyes turned to mine for a split second, and he sighed and took a deep breath

"Even though she was hurt. I couldn't think beyond killing him." His smile was small and almost genuine, "And then I would have ended up in Azkaban and Granger would be all by her lonesome. Then where would that leave us?"

"Where, indeed," Ginny muttered in an ominous voice that clashed terribly with the huge grin on her face.

"No problem," Luna said with a slow wave of her hands. She folded her hands over her black jacket. "It's a lucky thing we arrived on time."

"She's…she's ours too," Harry said evenly and nodded. "And we'd surely have helped if we'd figured out what was going on at the time."

"But you did him a good number by yourself," Dean cracked his knuckles he spoke.

My, but everyone looked savage.

"Twenty-three bones," said Ron in a voice that sounded grudgingly admiring. "And a shattered face. Not bad at all, Malfoy."

"Thank you," he replied coolly and looked Ron in the eye. "Granger, how about you tell us what happened?"

"Ok." I took a deep breath and began my story, looking at every single person in the room in turn. "So, Malfoy and I went on a date yesterday, leaving around 11 in the morning and getting back in the evening. He dropped me off at home around five. Anyway, I heard the doorbell ring and I didn't really think it was you lot." I looked over at my friends then returned to my story. "On the way to the door, I realized that Malfoy's jacket was on my couch. I guess I had brought it in with me, and so I thought it was him coming to take the jacket back."

"I went to open the door, but I was midway through scolding him so I never saw who attacked me. The spell hit me about here." An arm rose up to indicate where 'here' was, about mid-chest height. "And I flew back into the room and hit the floor. He was protected, you know…"

"Protected?" Harry prompted. I gave him a meaningful glance, one that told him it was the same shield spell that had been adjusted during the War and first appeared on the Light side. We hadn't thought that anyone else would know.

"You're kidding," said Dean with a disturbed look. _He_'d had experiences with that spell when the Dark Side tweaked it to spit the spells back at you at high speeds. He'd been hit with his own Binding spell in the midst of battle. If it hadn't been for Seamus' keeping an eye out for fallen Order members, an enemy would have found Dean before we did.

"The same kind?" asked Neville seriously.

"In essence, it was the same thing."

"I'm beginning to feel as if we're not here anymore," said Blaise with a good-natured frown.

"But you know what I'm talking about," I turned to Blaise and said seriously. "The new shield spells that were created during the war. The ones that you put in place around yourself or someone else, which move with you. His wasn't like the Light Side's but it wasn't exactly like the Dark Side's either. His absorbed the spells with an audible sound."

"Ah," spoke Theodore Nott in a deep calm voice. He had been quiet the entire time, and upon hearing the bass of his voice, I almost started. "I do wonder how he obtained knowledge of that spell. But he changed it himself?"

"I have no idea," I replied. The hand that wasn't clasped in Malfoy's rubbed my sore neck absently. "I tried wandless magic but…nothing happened. If you don't count, of course, me angering him most thoroughly and landing myself in a lot of pain." My expression turned rueful as I looked around the room. Then I shrugged. "It's not really worth going into details, really. And then of course Malfoy came, and so did you lot. I'm just glad that I got away without any major wounds.

"Are you going to press charges?" asked Blaise from his stance near the window.

_Now there's the million dollar question…_I hadn't thought about that. It wasn't that I wasn't surprised that such a thing would happen to me. It's more that I didn't think that…the poor man was crazy. And I had happened to be an object that had captured his interest. _At least, I have amazing friends and a nutty fiancée,_ I thought to myself. If it had been any other girl, she might not have come off so lucky.

"Keep in mind that regardless of your answer, **I** will press charges, whether you want to or not." Malfoy's voice was suddenly tight and his face was hard.

"Then I guess it doesn't matter whether I choose to or not," I muttered with a sour face directed at Malfoy. "It seems my opinion on the subject is not needed."

"Forget Malfoy for a moment," said Ginny impatiently. "Do you want to press charges?"

"I would rather see him in a place where people can help him," I said. "Azkaban wouldn't help his insanity, you know. But maybe if he stayed here at St. Mungos, he would…he might get a little better under expert Healer care. I don't know…"

"You're a softie, 'Mione," said Ron with disgust. Dean nodded beside him, as did Blaise and Malfoy, and even Harry and Ginny looked like they were agreeing.

"Well if it were you, wouldn't you want to be treated well?"

"Well if it was me, I wouldn't stalk people," Ron shot back with folded arms and a smug look on his freckled face. "I would stay at home and play Quidditch all day, all right?"

There was a general note of laughter all around at this smug comment.

"Regardless," said Blaise from the window. "It costs money to keep people under hospitalized care. And he doesn't seem to have any family, so there would be no one to cover it."

"True," I said. "But I really would rather see him somewhere other than Azkaban…" My voice drifted off as I continued to think about it.

"I hope you don't have any plans of paying for that bastard," said Malfoy in a grim voice. "Because I certainly wouldn't allow that."

"Allow?" I turned to him slowly with a raised eyebrow and a look one part pure disbelief and two parts challenge. He looked at me just as evenly, with a glint in his gray-blue eyes and a stubborn set to his square jaw that I didn't like.

"Forbid," he said coolly. His hand was still holding mine, by the way.

"Forbid," I stated casually and looked at him as if he were joking. The urge to pull my hand out of his grasp was overwhelming, and so I gave in. I folded both arms stubbornly across my chest and I could see that he was doing his best to seethe inwardly. "Good one. Either you're joking, which I am sure you are, or you must be under the impression that you are in an alternate reality and speaking to some other girl."

"No." His voice was certain but there was a mockingly thoughtful cast to his face. "I'm pretty sure that you're Hermione Granger and I'm definitely forbidding you from paying money to hospitalize someone that I would kill without hesitation."

"Maybe we should leave the room before the row _really_ starts," whispered someone from the perimeter of the bed. There was a hushed shuffling of feet and soft scraping of chairs began as people started edging out of the ward, presumably.

"Oh no," I waved a hand in the direction of the voice without ever looking away from Malfoy. "What row? There isn't one. I'm letting Malfoy have his little joke," I said with a tight laugh.

"Joke, is it?" His cool demeanor was slowly cracking and faint pink was beginning to show up on his cheeks. "If I have to lock you up in the Manor and take a hold of your bank account to stop you from-"

We were suddenly interrupted by the apparition of two middle-aged male Healers in their uniform golden robes just outside the circle of seats. Everyone in the room turned toward the newcomers. Some looked grateful that something had halted our argument; some looked as if they would rather leave and the rest looked a bit amused. Malfoy's face looked sour at being stopped mid-rant, and the smirk on my face _probably_ didn't help it either. The shorter of the two was carrying a small vial of some light yellow potion and the other one carried nothing.

"Pardon the interruption," said the taller one with an entirely bored look on his pimply face. "But Miss Granger is due to be released before the hour passes. All paperwork has been completed, and we have a potion for any lingering pain, but she should be fine upon release."

The one holding my potion stepped through the circle to press the vial into my hands without further ado. "You just take that potion if there's any pain, missy."

"Thank you," I said and nodded.

"Before leaving," said the tall one with the bored face, "please remember to stop by the front door to clear your release."

"If that will be all…"

Malfoy's voice was cool and haughty. They left without another word.

"How will we get you home?" asked Neville, getting to his feet. "I can't imagine you feel up to walking at all."

"I'll be fine getting back to my apartment house so-"

"Actually," interrupted Malfoy in a voice that told me no good could come of what he was about to say, "actually, I have to talk to you about that."

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

I was awake by 11:45 this morning, and I woke up angry.

All the ingredients for a shitty day were present – a headache, rain outside, Granger passed out and injured somewhere in the near vicinity, and my best friends seated around the bed. Yes, I was partly relieved to know that I wouldn't have to rely on Potty and Weasel and that lot since I heard they'd come by to see me when I was unconscious. Yes, I was happy to find that all my best friends had come to the hospital to see me. Bur I still saw red. I was just itching to get at that bastard who'd hurt Granger, it was obvious that I had too much energy. But with that energy, I'd decided to do something useful. I had decided to have all of Granger's belongings moved to the Manor.

And this was exactly what I was going to tell Granger.

Now, I really don't fancy being murdered in my sleep or hung up by toenails with forks driven through my knees and ankles. Blaise had thought it rash while Crabbe and Goyle had thought it funny to fight over which curse Granger would decide to end my life with. Theo was strangely silent on the matter, and believe me, a silent Nott was not a good one. But this was Granger's life I was protecting here, and there would be no more room for idiocy or fooling around.

I really hoped that she would see that I was doing it for her for two major reasons. Firstly, I really couldn't go through another forty-eight hours like that and she needed to be kept safe, regardless. Secondly, she would be living in the Manor whether she liked it or not.

Yes, whether she liked it or not.

I had sent a letter home to Mother yesterday afternoon, explaining what had happened and instructing her to help me move all of Granger's things. I requested that she send a team of house-elves over to the apartment and have everything packed and waiting for our return at the Manor. Mother must have assumed that I was doing it of my own volition since her reply made certain I knew that she didn't approve but what do as I asked nonetheless.

Her exact words?

**"Her things will be here by half past noon – I trust you know what you're doing?"**

Of course, Granger would choose her own set of rooms but the move would be permanent.

_Now, if I can just get her to see the sense in the change…_

"And what exactly do you have to say about that?"

Over her shoulder, Blaise was still standing with arms crossed against the window closed to the rain. He looked at me, a look that clearly asked whether I had a death wish, and for a moment, I wondered if I did.

_No,_ I thought firmly to myself. _This is for her benefit._

"Hello?" She waved her tanned arms in front of my face, trying to get my attention. "Earth to Draco Malfoy!"

"Ah…yes, about tha-" I said.

"Actually," interrupted Blaise. He pushed himself off of the window into a standing position. He brushed off his black suit briefly, then walked past the bed and made his way to the other side of the room. "I rather think that this will be a good time to leave. Unless you want to see Miss Granger leave more bloodshed in her wake than previously thought possible."

I glared at him viciously.

He'd just handed my head to her on a silver platter.

"What are you talking about?"

Ginevra Weasley's face looked confused but Luna Lovegood was eyeing me with shrewd sky blue eyes. I don't know how she knew – all those rumours about her being as loony as a lark ran quickly through my head – but she _knew_.

"You are Blaise Zabini, correct?" she asked dreamily. "I rather think that he is telling the truth. Don't ask questions now," she continued and started rushing people to their feet.

Potter was rushed to his feet as tried to say something.

"But-"

"Hold on a tic-" Thomas.

"Why!-"

Weasley.

"I only know Miss Granger by reputation," said Theo getting to his feet smoothly and making his way out the door of the ward, "yet _I_ have no wish to be anywhere near here when he tells her what he has to say."

Granger's eyes narrowed as the antagonistic look on her face suddenly climbed up another level. Because of the bond, I could feel her anger blazing up.

_Damn them,_ I thought as I turned to glare at all of them.

WhenI turned back to chance a look at Granger's face, I glimpsed what every man fears to see.

Wrath.

Merlin, I was going to kill them when I got done here with her.

All of her best friends were rushed out of the room by Theo, Blaise and Lovegood. Weasel was the loudest protester but he was told that it all had to do with the bond and that they should all leave before they got caught in the crossfire. Before I knew it, the ward was steeped in silence. I was left alone with a now irate Granger. I took a deep breath before I turned back to stare into her livid face. Those honey brown eyes were narrowed and her lips had disappeared into a straight pink line. Her arms were crossed over the white hospital robe, and she looked as if she were going to spit fire. I braced myself for the ultimate showdown, taking a deep breath and squaring my shoulders.

She beat me to it.

"Draco. Malfoy." The voice that came out of her mouth was barely controlled. The feeling coming through the bond was the same. She was hanging on to her anger by a thread. "I suggest that you tell me what it is that you want to discuss."

"All of your belongings have been moved to Malfoy Manor."

The words came out of my mouth before I had a chance to gather my thoughts, and as soon as they were out, I closed my eyes and winced.

_That was not how I was supposed to tell her…_

I opened my eyes to see her look of utter disbelief. Her eyes were widened in surprise and her mouth was dropped open. The arms that had been folded across her chest in disbelief were now slack, lying limply on top of the white bed sheets and her shoulders were slumped. Her reaction did not bode well for my future. Silence reigned, and then…

"DRACO MALFOY!"

The word 'holler' took on new dimensions as the words left her lips. Her face was now thoroughly red, making her look like an overripe tomato that had been left out too long. Steam might have been coming out of her ears, I really had no idea. I winced again.

"YOU HAD BETTER EXPLAIN YOURSELF BEFORE I AM FORCED TO INVENT A NEW CRUCIATUS CURSE TO USE ESPECIALLY ON YOU!"

"Well…wait, don't get angry," I pleaded. "My reasoning is sound. Moving into the Manor would be good for three main reasons: you would be safe there; we would fill all the time-spending requirements because we would be living in the same house and the bond would get stronger which is a _good _thing!"

"MALFOY!" Her face was climbing up the color range and I started to panic. An arm shot out to grab the front of my hospital robe and twist it in a fist. "WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF REASONING IS THAT?"

You could have knocked me over with a feather – she was actually _cursing_ at me? Shaking me and cursing at me?

"It's to keep you safe!" I snapped.

_Can't she see that I'm doing it for her?_

"WITHOUT ASKING ME?"

"Well, obviously I couldn't because you would have opposed-"

"THEN SHOULDN'T THAT CLUE YOU IN, GENIUS? _I DON'T BLOODY WANT TO MOVE INTO THE MANOR!_"

She was making me just as mad, and I shouted right back at her.

"WELL, I DON'T CARE!_" _

"_YOU'RE AN IDIOT!_ YOU'D BETTER COME UP WITH A BETTER STATEMENT THAN THAT!"

I shook her hand off and got up.

"_I NEVER WANT TO DIE OF FEAR OR ANGER BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE OR WHAT'S HAPPENNING TO YOU!"_

Her jaw dropped.

"_ARE YOU INSANE?_ HOW DOES THAT GIVE YOU ANY-" she pointed at me with a finger, "BLOODY! RIGHT! TO JUST MOVE ME IN WITHOUT DOING THE COURTESY OF _ASKING?_"

Was I banging my head against a wall where she was concerned? Clearly, she had no protection and no security at her current apartment in the Muggle suburbs. She refused to put up wards because it would interfere with her electricity! What would stop the next madman from following her home to hurt her?

"_WHY THE HELL **NOT?**" _I roared.

Her entire face turned red.

"BECAUSE IT IS _MY _CHOICE AND I ABSOLUTELY REFUSE TO!"

"_LIKE I SAID, I DON'T BLOODY CARE. YOU'RE MOVING IN, DAMN IT!"_

"**LIKE HELL I AM!"**

"_IT'S TOO DAMNED LATE TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT,"_I roared back directly into her red face, "_BECAUSE YOUR THINGS HAVE BEEN MOVED, THE LEASE IS BROKEN, AND MY WORD IS FINAL!"_

All the time that we'd been shouting, the bond had been reverberating in my head. It bounced and bounced until I was feeling the effects of two sets of angers, two sets of emotions, two sets of people.

My head couldn't handle it, and neither could my magic apparently, since I suddenly noticed that something akin to a whirlwind was building around me. It was whipping my hair around my face, and getting the hospital robe snapping around my body. It seemed that Granger noticed the same thing simultaneously, for her brown eyes grew larger and the mottled spots of red on her cheeks became even more pronounced. Golden sparks were crackling around the fist that was holding my shirt, and that unruly mane of auburn streaked with blonde was rising on end. She snatched her hand away from my shirt, and then pushed me back a couple of steps. I stumbled over the chair but managed to right myself.

"Get back," she whispered with the golden sparks still dancing up and down her bare tanned arms and around her curls. "Back up before something happens."

I acquiesced, almost falling again in my haste, but not before the situation was further complicated by the arrival of three different Healers.

"What is going on here?" shouted one, striding forward with a brandished wand. "You can feel that down the hall!"

"Control yourselves!" yelled another. He turned to me, shoved me out the door. "Take a walk, cool down, get out of here. You're a danger to each other and everyone else in the near vicinity."

I nodded dumbly – the bond was still reverberating wildly. I felt as if my head was expanding to try and accommodate and encompass everything.

A fourth Healer Apparated into the room with a bang, eyes hard as she shoved a potion into my hands.

"Calming Draught," she said with an expectant look. "Take it immediately. You may return when it takes effect, while we ready Miss Granger for release."

I did.

I daresay I nearly choked on it in my haste to stop the madness.

And took a walk.

And rubbed my head.

And cursed my best mates.

And rubbed my head again.

I hadn't expected it to be easy but, by Merlin, I hadn't thought it would explode into all that ugliness. She hadn't been sorted into Gryffindor for meekness of spirit, that was certainly true. But she clearly couldn't see that it was better for her to be at the Manor – I didn't have any ulterior motive. I just…

_I just want her safe._

I couldn't go through that again. I hadn't felt that useless in a long time, or that angry. And what I'd said to her mates had been true – I couldn't have stopped long enough to check that she was still breathing. I hadn't been myself.

I couldn't do that again.

At least I couldn't feel all that soppy emotion while on the potion.

When I returned to the mostly empty room, Granger's face was carefully blank.

"Granger-"

"We're not finished," she said casually. "I apologized for having caused the staff any trouble."

I would have sighed if I didn't feel so serene.

She was right. This was nowhere near over.


	18. Gone

Author's Note - Updated December 22nd 2011. I've talked to a lot of cool cats thanks to this website. Especially since it's the holidays, I've been thinking of one fan that turned into a penpal – yet I haven't spoken to her in awhile. LunaML, this is for you. I hope that this year wasn't too difficult, I hope you had support and love, and most of all I hope you have comfort. The holidays are always difficult if you've suffered a loss.

This chapter is a little bit screwy because I'd randomly thrown in Harry's POV in the original version. I wasn't sure what to do with that section since it really doesn't need to be in there so I cut it out – I'll probably make it a one-shot of sorts.

Also thank you guys, so much, for the continued support! It helps me stay motivated to finish this quickly. Merry Christmas!

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**Eighteenth Cycle**

**Gone**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

Leaving took place smoothly, despite the disgruntled Healers.

It was probably because we were both feeling far too mellow to further discuss our problem.

Being the active one, I had already taken care of all the paperwork to be done…might as well not remind her that I'd changed her life by having them sent to the house. She was still weak, pale under her tan though it was only around 1:30 in the afternoon, but I could tell she was tired. It was difficult to do anything other than negotiate a return to the house by car.

The three hour ride was impossibly silent.

When the limousine pulled into the rambling lane up to the house, Hermione Granger visibly went on alert. I wasn't surprised in the least – it was in her favor to stay on point. Even I would have done the same, had the positions been flipped. I was the enemy, once again, although I didn't want to be.

I didn't ask her permission before I swept her up into my hands – she would rather die than admit to weakness, at this point – and began to stride up the pristine white pathway that ended at the foot of the equally white stairs that led to the door, with Granger as a warm weight settled in against my chest.

When I happened to glance down, she was very pointedly averting her face.

_Lovely, _I thought sarcastically. _Honestly, just lovely._

I undid the wards wordlessly and stepped into the foyer. Seeming to appear there from nothing as was their wont, two house-elves popped in. They bowed profusely, and asked if I needed any assistance. All I needed was to be directed to the room in which Granger's boxes were being held, and I said so. At my comment, she shifted in my arms and I chanced another glance down at her. Her baleful eyes stared right back at me

_I hope she's not planning on keeping that up_, I thought as I frowned and my lips pressed into a thin line.

Mother stood a little farther into the atrium.

"Hermione," she said warmly, totally ignoring me as I bent at the knees to drop Granger's feet to the floor.

Because I was reluctant to let go of her, I slid my arms around her waist to keep her upright. She stiffened, yet again, but ignored me as she presumably smiled into my mum's face. I contented myself with loosening my hold and staring at the crown of her wild hair.

_Amazing, two angry women._

"My dear, Draco wrote to me this morning and told me."

"Mrs. Malfoy, I feel fine. A little weak but other than that, I'm perfectly fine." They smiled at each other for a few seconds before my mum looked up at me. Her hands slid out of Hermione's and one reached out to pat my face.

"Draco."

There was a world of difference in the way she spoke to me versus the way she spoke to the woman I held. Still, she must have been worried because she touched my arm.

"Recovered?"

I nodded.

"Good. Miss Granger?" My mother smiled. "I'm glad that Draco and your friends got there at the right time," she said softly with a smile. "Send a houself along if you need something."

And then Mother was gone.

So silence reigned a second time.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

With the departure of his mother, Draco's arms served to add fuel to the simmering fury that I felt. I was going to kill him. The Calming Draught was wearing off and I was going to kill him. I felt absolutely ridiculous all gathered in his arms, and felt even _more _ridiculous knowing that if he wasn't holding me, I'd be too weak to stay upright. This suite that he had brought me too was full of my things. Everywhere I turned my boxes were stacked neatly. The only upside to things was that he had fixed my beautiful vase – it was whole and new and sitting on a window sill on the other side of the room.

But his hands around my waist made me want to hit something.

_If there were only some way to stand on my own without needing support,_ I thought to myself as I consciously stiffened my back.

The bond might have been calmer than usual but Draco ought to know that I was still angry. With my extensive knowledge of magic and wizardry, it was possible to control movement of the body. But if I were to be able to properly utilize the spell, I would need much more energy than I had at the present. And so I was stuck.

"Why don't you set me down on that couch over there that used to be in my home far, far from here?"

I never said I wasn't prone to childish snarkiness.

"There is nothing like vague statements and a non-hostile approach to get the conversation restarted," he muttered sarcastically as my legs were swung in the air suddenly and I was in his arms again.

_He _never said he wasn't prone to childish snark either.

I resisted elbowing him in stomach, seeing as I was in a very good location to do exceptional damage to that part of his anatomy. It would be satisfying to land a hit as well. I contented myself with concentrating on thinking of a way to restore my energy quick. What would be my savior-

My phone.

It was sitting atop one of the numerous large brown boxes that were sitting neatly on the green carpet of this particular living room. It looked lonesome, all by itself with nothing to make it ring. But that would change as soon as I got it because I doubted Draco would just-

_Draco? **Draco?** When on earth did I start calling him that? _

I shook off that thought and focused on salvation. I had to get it into my hands without him noticing. And then I thought of the most perfect, mind-boggling, time-buying, unique, and utterly Hermione Granger-like plan.

And it began with-

"Draco," I whispered softly and looked up at him.

Lavender Brown, God rest her soul, would have been so proud of me if she'd heard the way I delivered that line and saw what I did next. One hand carefully slipped through a small gap that I spied between me and him, while his steps paused in surprise. His blue grey eyes were clear but his mouth was scrunched into a look of utter surprise.

_His name is working like a charm…_

…and adrenaline pumped in my veins, briefly dispelling my fatigue.

What I felt through the link was complete astonishment. Silver blonde strands fell into his hair perfectly and I wondered briefly if that was because he had performed some conceited magic to make it so. His gorgeous pale face didn't faze me though. I just plunged ahead with my newly devised plan to distract Draco by calling him by his first name.

"Draco," I looked into his eyes and repeated as my mouth turned downward to buy myself more time. "I don't really want to fight with you."

I shifted so that I was facing him, turned all the way around his arms as if we were actually embracing. If I could just get my hands in position, I could manage to catch the phone when it hurtled through the air-

"I b-beg your pardon?" he stuttered.

I twisted my arm and I looked down; making sure that my hair fell around my face so he wouldn't see my lips.

_Accio cellphone,_ I said under my breath.

"Do you feel sick? What's wrong? Are you hurting anywhere?" he said worriedly. He made as if to carry me and I tightened my arms around his waist and prayed to God he wouldn't hear the sudden whistling through the air.

To say he was shocked would be an understatement.

"Let me lay you down," he muttered, sounding exceedingly concerned. "I knew I should have brought a Healer home with us. Honestly, I would hire one if I could-"

I sighed in relief. The phone was in my hands, I angled my arm upwards so that I could conceal it in my sleeves, and then pretended to sigh.

"Draco," I said a bit louder, hoping that it would mask the whistle of a flying object. It did. His face scrunched up even tighter with something that was confusion, then that cellphone was in my hand, and I knew I was as good as free. "But I really need to use the bathroom. Do you think you could take me there?"

It was obvious he didn't know what to do with himself but he didn't want to question me, apparently.

I felt like an ungrateful princess when he swept my legs out from underneath me and began the walk to wherever the nearest bathroom was located in this gigantic place. When he let my feet touch the ground again, it took all of my brainpower to keep from looking like I was going to faint.

Why I was so _tired_?

My legs touched the ground, and my knees almost buckled under the weight. My free hand flew out to clutch the doorway of the bathroom. If I fell now, he would never leave me alone and give me enough time to secure my way out of his bloody Manor. I winced, hating to look weak in front of him, then pressed my mouth into a firm line.

"I'm fine," I said with a forced smile as my nails threatened to score the wood with marks. His hands were still around my waist and he was looking at me with concern.

I could literally see the cogs in his brain turning - that newly developed protective streak was threatening to rise to the surface just when I needed it the least.

"I'll be fine," I inclined my head to the doorway. Freedom was in my cellphone and I had to hold out though my arm felt as if it would fall off. "I won't get lost and drown in the toilet bowl, I promise."

"Alright," he said and walked to stand in the doorway. He never looked away from me, not once, and my muscles were strained from keeping appearances. "I'll be right here," he said with a watchful look on his face.

"I'm sure you will," I muttered drily.

"What was that?"

I smiled sweetly.

"I'll call out when I'm done."

I forced another smile and let go of the doorways and with all of my strength and double my natural speed, closed the door firmly before sliding into a heap on the bathroom floor.

Good Lord, I'd had to close the door in his face.

But liberty was right at my fingertips if it could withstand all the magic of Malfoy Manor. Draco had complained often enough that the service at his house was tetchy at best and nonexistent at worst. I sincerely hoped that this was one of the better times.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, trying to build up mental walls so that the blond wouldn't get so much as a hint of what I was up to. I cast a silencing spell so that he wouldn't hear anything that way either.

"Alright," I muttered to myself as I laboriously flipped the phone open to search my phonebook. I was sweating; it was becoming increasingly hard to breathe. I paused to gather my breath before moving my fingers. "Alright…" I continued to mutter feverishly. "The whole gang's together…Luna will help me…Luna was the first to suspect so…yes, I'll get Luna and they'll help me out…"

The ringing began and by some stroke of luck, the call connected.

"Hello?" I said in a hurried whisper as I began to slowly drag myself over to bathroom floor to the toilet. "Luna! God, I need you…I'm at the Manor…yes, the Manor and I'm not certain why you didn't do me the courtesy of letting me know whatever you'd caught on to…that, I believe…never mind Dean, I need you to come get me…no, I don't want to be here…I'll explain if you'll get to the front door of the Manor…Bring them all if you want…I don't have enough energy to outsmart him as things stand. I can barely afford to stand on my own, as it is. Wiltshire, I'm sure you remember where…Harry can Apparate you all in, otherwise…Thanks."

I lifted the silencing spell quickly, and set about trying to make as much noise as possible. After faltering about a thousand times, I managed to yank it down to get the toilet to flush. At the very least, I could keep up pretenses of having actually used the toilet. I breathed hard and rested against the seat as the gargle of flushing water sounded throughout the loo. Then I shoved my cellphone into the jeans of my pants.

It took me a while to get myself close to the door and drag myself up by the counter ledge, but I accomplished that too.

Good Lord, I was going to need to sleep in the next half hour if the energy expenditure was any sign.

It also occurred to me that I'd overcome sort of hurdle in this relationship by calling him by his first name.

For a minute, I wondered how that had happened. Then I swung the door open and tried to look like I'd just used the loo.

He was standing on the other side of the room, hands in his trouser pockets, calm but not detached. When I spoke, his head snapped up.

"Draco?" I whispered.

I knew I didn't have to use it at this point, I'd already gotten my way at this point, but it felt so…odd…to say it that I _kept _saying it just so I could get used to it. Or maybe I continued to use his first name because I knew that it would keep him off balance.

"Draco?" I said louder.

Immediately, he was filling all the space unintentionally and his hands were everywhere.

"I'm alright," I said, a hand on his arm.

Apparently, he'd gotten a degree in medicine in the short while I'd been in the loo since he didn't stop checking my pulse and feeling along my arms and head until he was satisfied. Against my better judgment, I looked at this concerned young man and thought how…adorable…he was this way. Like he honest-to-goodness wouldn't stop caring until I was better.

"How are you feeling?" he asked again.

I opened myself up a little and saw the exact moment the bond sent him information. He frowned and slipped an arm around my waist and the other underneath my knees to sweep me off my feet _again_.

I must admit, I felt like I could get used to this kind of treatment, if applied on a regular basis. _None of that, my girl. Let's work on getting him to the front door…_

"Like I need some fresh air," I said not untruthfully. I really hoped that the gang would be at the door by now for two reasons. Firstly, I wanted to leave. Secondly, I was starting to feel bad about this plan just because he was acting so bloody nice. "Do you think we could get outside for a little while?"

"You're exhausted," he began. "I can feel it-"

"Fresh air," I said firmly. "And you don't have to carry me , you know. I wouldn't be offended or angry if you simply levitated me."

He looked at me as if I were an idiot.

"Or not," I muttered.

_Really, _I thought, _it's your choice._

He simply nodded and began the trek to the bottom of the stairs leading to the atrium with me (once again) in his arms. We barely made it to the foot of it before the doorbell rang.

My freedom had arrived.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

_Why is she calling me Draco?_

I was disturbed, frankly. It was disconcerting to hear my first name from her lips, yet she hadn't looked as if saying it had bothered her in the least. As we moved down the stairs to our ultimate goal of the outdoors, my mind went out of focus as my body went into autopilot.

_Why's she acting as if that's…that's **normal**?_

It wasn't normal. And I was far too confused and disturbed to enjoy it. We'd had a fight this morning, and not just any normal fight; it had been one so emotionally-charged that our magic had escaped our control. It didn't make sense for her to be calling me 'Draco' now. She had to be up to something. I was thoroughly, and utterly confused. As my feet hit the foyer, the doorbell of the front door of the Manor rang.

Immediately, two houselves appeared in front of the door. Before they could open it, I stopped them. Granger shifted in my arms but I took no notice of it. They bowed profusely, the whole similar lot of them, before going about lifting the wards and opening them.

"Put me down, I won't die," the witch in my arms said.

I snorted.

"You might not die but you'll certainly faint," I snorted. "No one will think any less of you for staying right where you are."

The doorbell rung again. We ignored it.

"It's not that I care if anyone will think less of me, which I'm already certain they _won't_," she sniffed, "but unless you plan on wandless magic and the wards, we're not going to get that door open."

"Granger." I rolled my eyes. "That's what houselves are for."

"Regardless, it would be faster if you did it."

Good God, she was back to fighting over everything.

"How about I simply set you on your feet?" I asked mockingly. "You clearly mean to stand either way, for all the five minutes you can maintain."

Her lips pressed into a thin line.

"Is that alright, Your Highness?"

It probably wasn't in my best interest to be mocking her as I dropped her as nicely as possible.

"Draco, you're being-"

Again, with the first name basis! Anything she might have said was lost when my entrance was suddenly filled to bursting with all her mates. To say that I was surprised was a bit of an understatement. Never had any Malfoy thought to see the day they would let either a Potter or a Weasley cross the front door but it was (apparently) a new day in England.

"Your friends are fast," I said, amused.

My statement made her uncomfortable. Her brown eyes were shifty, and she looked at me once before looking back to her friends. I redirected my attention to them with a focus I didn't even know I had.

_Little Miss Gryffindor is up to something, isn't she?_

She said nothing.

"We came to see if she needed anything," said Weaselette with a bright smile that made me look at her wryly.

No doubt, she'd rather be drilling Granger with questions.

"I didn't eat her, if that's what you were wondering. Not in the way I would like to anyway," I muttered.

"What was that?" Granger asked.

"As you can see," I said loudly, "she's perfectly fine."

The bond jiggled a bit – her exhaustion was already kicking in.

"Zabini let us know," Potter said helpfully. They all nodded.

That rat bastard.

"Well, I would be remiss in my manners if I left the lot of you standing on the front step." I stepped aside, fully aware that Granger was still in my arms as I inclined my head and withheld a wry smile. "Do enter before the rain decides to beat you to it."

I refused to give Granger another reason to be sore at me – I was going to be the perfect gentleman.

Even if a refrain of _Weasley Is Our King _was running quite merrily through my head.

They all moved into the house in varying degrees of excitement. Weaselette bounded in, full of feline energy that made me want to laugh, and was successfully dragging an unwilling Potter in with her. Neville Longbottom merely gazed at me with the merest hint of discomfort before he walked came over to squeeze Granger's hand briefly. Lovegood stepped through the door, her hands folded behind her back and black velvet boots clicking on marble and her sky blue gaze floating around the Manor leisurely. Thomas strolled in right behind her and turned to look back at the most hesitant of the group.

"The house itself won't bite either," I said calmly while giving Weasley a slightly amused look.

His face took on a slightly acidic tone as his withering glance scoured me from head to foot. But he stepped in and shrugged me off.

When I turned, I met Granger's eyes. It was then that I realized something very very strange. Something so strange that I was surprised that I had not realized it earlier.

She hadn't said a word.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

The moment he looked at me his face went odd.

_What? What?_ I was hard put to keep cool in the face of what looked like a change of plans. _Bloody Calming Drought is beginning to wear off…_

I kept silent, neither making eye contact with Draco or expressing my growing discontent with the situation. I was careful to make sure that my mental barriers were completely intact. It wouldn't do for him to realize that all was not well.

No one was moving to knock him out cold.

And I was dying while I was relying on my own strength.

I had shot Harry a questioning look which he very rudely returned about a minute ago. Ron, Dean, Neville, Luna, and Ginny hadn't even glanced at me. Instead, they were all standing in the foyer looking around as if I hadn't called them in for a rescue mission. To complete this horrid state of affairs, Draco had been _right_. I was going to fall over any minute now.

This was **not** what freedom from the Manor was supposed to look like.

The houselves went about doing something around the door and Malfoy crossed the room to stand at my side.

"Granger."

He was using my last name. His gaze was piercing a hole into the side of my head. I didn't look his way. In addition, I emptied my mind of any strong feelings. I hoped we would reach that living room or be interrupted quickly.

"What's wrong?"

I was worn out. I was an involuntary resident of the Manor. I'd been attacked by a lunatic two days ago.

"Nothing at all," I said blankly.

I put a considerable amount of will towards placing one foot in front of the other as he began to walk. I kept my eyes rotated forward, as if totally interested in where he was taking us. I hoped that this tactic would deter him from asking questions, but alas, no such luck.

"Why aren't you looking at me as you answer the question?"

"It would take too much effort to turn my eyes toward you right now, and if you haven't noticed, you began walking."

I could feel him roll his eyes again.

"You haven't said a word to any of your friends," he continued in a voice swelling with concern. I didn't care what he felt as long as he wasn't suspicious.

"We said hello."

"_They_ said hello," he shot back. "You stood there.

I got angry immediately.

"I'm sorry, would you _like me_ to admit that you were right?" I hissed. "That I honestly feel as if a slight breeze will take me down?"

He didn't waste time in drawing me towards him. It didn't help me calm down a single bit.

"Between being supremely angry and refusing to calm down," Gin broke in, "when did you find time to transport all of Hermione's belongings?"

Malfoy's steps into the royal blue living room halted most abruptly.

Even I stopped my steadfast ignorance of the situation to swivel my head over his side to look at Ginny. She looked as if she was asking the world's safest question, holding Harry's hand and obviously gazing past Draco and into the living room he was leading everyone into.

_Trust her to get right to the point…_ The glare he shot her was nothing short of You-really-want-me-to-get-it-huh?. The ferocity with which his gray eyes narrowed, the speed in the shift from blue gray to slate gray in those orbs, and the thinned lips almost brought a smile to my face. He had acquired a healthy fear of my temper in the last few hours, clearly.

"Weaselette."

"That's not an answer, Malfoy."

She was still looking around the living room with growing like, yet her voice came out stern and strong and directed towards Draco as if he were a little boy. 

"I wrote a letter home," he ground out with thin lips. "They handled the rest."

His whole manner bespoke of mild irritation – he thought that she would remind me of what he had done. The thing is I had never forgotten…and I should have been out by now. I could feel that my strength was slowly returning, seeping into my muscles and settling over my bones like liquid poured exquisitely slowly through my body. But I was nowhere near strong enough.

She nodded and looked around obliviously as he glared at her a moment more before looking down at me with an apologetic look on his pale face. I looked back at him, steadily and blankly so that he would think that I _really_ was mad. His gray eyes snapped away first. He cleared his throat. He showed them into the room. And we said nothing to each other, all the while I wondered why the gang wasn't busting me out of this place.

Finally, ten minutes later-

"Might I take Hermione with me to the loo?"

The comment came abruptly from Luna, almost as soon as we sat down. My face snapped up to gauge Draco's reaction; he was totally taken by surprise. My eyes snapped to Luna's pleasantly dreamy one and then back to Draco.

Harry's face had given me no answers to my current situation but it looked like Luna would.

I couldn't imagine she hadn't told the boys why I'd asked them all to come by.

I didn't understand what was happening but I was all for going to the loo if they'd tell me in detail.

Still, Draco wasn't stupid. He would know something was up._Tough luck, chap._ I smiled at the both girls and reached out two hands. Immediately they were there to help me up. An arm was slung over each of their shoulders, and in a minute I was on my feet. In two, I was at the room's entrance. In three, it was too late for Draco to call us back because we were already moving down the hallway. And as soon as we were down the hallway, my friends dragged me into the nearest bathroom.

I turned on them immediately.

"What's the matter with everyone?" I folded my arms and gave them the most ferocious and evil glare that I could muster at the moment. "I thought you were bringing _help_, that you would come in and take me immediately! What is this?"

We'd unconsciously arranged ourselves into a triangle, with both of them facing me. Luna's face had lost a little pleasantness, and took on a bit more sternness. Ginny's was the face of a schoolmarm. These two faces were obviously not going to break me out.

"We think you're being unreasonable," Luna started calmly.

I reeled backwards in shock.

"If you would just open your eyes a little wider, you would see that he is being selfish but he really does want you to be safe," she continued.

"But-"

"But at the same time," Ginny interrupted, "he obviously lives in the Stone Age where men controlled women with nothing more than their hands and their pockets. I'm not sure why he thought you'd take such a thing sitting down."

I huffed.

"I don't want to stay." I said it as a statement.

It was unquestionable. It couldn't be changed. I wanted to be my own person in my own home. No one else's.

"And we know that," Ginny glanced at Luna before looking at me. "So if you really want to leave that badly, you can Apparate to the Burrow as soon as you have the strength."

"But-"

"The boys don't know about this." Luna said with a smile while her finger went up to shake to and fro." And the truth is, we didn't tell them because they honestly don't need any more reasons to hate him. The lot of them don't _need_ to be mates but they should at least get along."

…I hated to admit that she was right. I would have hated if this had become yet another stumbling block to Draco being somewhat accepted.

And when had I begun caring whether Draco would be accepted?

"Regardless, you'll have to get out of the Manor on your own."

Gin was implacable.

"And I'll be over at Ginny's tomorrow. All day so that we can lower the wards all morning."

To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. I supposed it made sense, if I was in the mood to be sensible.

"I-"

"Agreed?" asked Luna.

"Since I can't get a word in edgewise," I said sweetly, "I suppose I am."

So much for an immediate escape.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

"I hope you know that you've just started a row."

The giant Dean Thomas hadn't even tried to mince words once the girls left. I tried to remember the little I'd gathered about him at school – an artist, good with watercolor apparently, best friends with Seamus Finnegan. I was distracted by his sheer bulk though – he beat Weasley out in the height department by a long shot.

"She simply can't let things go."

I looked at him evenly. Truer words had never been spoken.

"I know."

"And she is a real beast when she's irritated," Weasley volunteered from my left. I doubted she'd have appreciated his particular description but I couldn't deny it was apt. "Good luck with that."

I sighed.

"I'm beginning to realize that."

The way they all smiled when I said that was something of an icebreaker.

"Just so we're all clear here," a quiet but slightly amused Longbottom began, "we realize that the War is over. None of us are at battle with one another. Although you and 'Mione…"

This time they snickered at my expense.

"Which means that we all are going to be spending a lot more time together," said Potter. "Which leads to constant interaction…she's going to want the lot of us to actually be _friends_."

I blinked.

Was this…a peace offering?

I looked at all four of them, her best friends, and found myself thinking that it wouldn't be too difficult to try what they were suggesting.

"So…" I said slowly, "we're going to have to learn to get along, yes?"

There was a general round of nodding.

"I'm game."

And that, my friends, was that.

**oo**

The girls came back to an intense discussion of the importance of Quidditch in magical history, in amicable terms. The female Weasley dived right into the conversation, Lovegood observed quietly, while Granger looked incredibly put-out.

Why she was put out, I was curious to know. When I attempted to discreetly asked her, she gave me the same sort of nondescript answer she'd given me while we'd led them all to the parlor.

_Hm, _I thought with narrowed eyes. _Interesting._

I could feel the bond jiggling with increasing frequency – it was like I was tuned to the slightest energy change in the chit. As much as I'd have liked to keep her mates around, she was fighting her natural inclination to sleep. I was the height of politeness as I ushered her guests out of my home.

When the door closed, she gave in and asked me to lead her to a bedroom.

"You really should try to eat something," I urged. "I can't imagine you'll wake up quickly after you sleep."

She barely bit back a sigh before allowing me to order a tray for him from the kitchen. Believe me when I said that I watched her eat it in that bed (it was a combination of this compulsive need not to let her out of sight and another one that demanded I watch her eat before she took the rest of that potion). She was impossibly quiet the entire time and her eyes kept closing…

…it made my heart turn over.

When she was finally finished, a houself cleared the tray immediately. She sunk into a deep sleep before a minute was up.

I have never been one for easy open affection and this was happening too fast with Granger.

She was a pain in the arse when she was mad, and she was vibrant and raging and funny and I hadn't expected it. Even now, completely dead to the world with those wild curls peeking out from under the blanket, I knew I wouldn't be completely at ease until she forgave me.

I would have loved to just march around the house self-righteously but I actually _cared_ that she might still be pissed in the morning. I didn't want her to be.

I left her sleeping in the bed and tried to go on with the rest of the day. I didn't want to write or call any of my mates – besides, those rat bastards hadn't helped me in the least at the hospital. Instead, I brooded to myself and deflected my mother's questions. I didn't want to eat either. I wandered around the house and listened to the relentless rain. I padded down the hallways and restlessly moved around the house. And then I got tired so I turned in as well. The next morning I awoke and entered her room to wake her up, hoping that the situation had changed.

It had.

She was gone.


	19. Square Off

Author's Note - Updated December 25th 2011. A very long Christmas present for you all - happy Holidays to those who don't celebrate Christmas, too!

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**Nineteenth Cycle**

**Square Off**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"Wait a tic while I check the door, ok?"

Ginny was dressed in soft gray sweatpants that matched the typical English rainy sky outside, with an ugly maroon sweatshirt and fuzzy pink socks on her feet. As I watched, she walked to the door of the hallway's bathroom and looked to the left and right in an entirely too obvious way. It was already half past nine on this energetic, gorgeous and beautiful Draco-free morning. _A little sleep is all it takes,_ I thought to myself and stretched on the exceedingly comfy brown sheets of Ginny's bed. I still felt tired but at least I had been able to leave the Manor without fainting on its immaculate lawn.

He was going to be angry with me, of course. But it was the principle of the matter – no matter how charming, how _romantic, _how caring a move it had been to move my things out of my old apartment and then break the lease with my landlord (I'd confirmed this myself after arriving in downtown London), he'd done all of this without my permission. Ginny and Luna may have thought me careless and selfish but Draco needed to be taught a lesson. Whether it was being born of high station or a natural high-handedness that came to those of the Malfoy lineage, it was never acceptable to simply steal someone's freedom from right underneath their noses.

Never.

It didn't explain why I had suffered a slight pang as I'd tried to pen a note to tell him not to worry. I wasn't completely heartless, after all. I'd abandoned the note with nothing more than a hurried 'don't worry' scrawled across the parchment before packing a trunk and taking as much as I could with me.

I looked outside at the mild sunny day of pale blue skies and not a spot of cloud in sight. Luna was at the desk about a foot away from the end of the bed, blonde head bent and total attention focused on drafts of_The Quibbler_'s articles which she was editing. At the end of the War, she had joined her father on the editing boards of the tabloid. I, myself, will never understand the stock she puts in that thing because I tend to prefer the things that I can have concrete evidence upon. But since Luna had become a valued friend, it's mattered less and less to point out that most of those things doesn't exist. She knows how I feel and I know how important it is to her so now we just get along with it.

"The coast is all clear," said Ginny as she quickly closed her bedroom door and bounced from the door to the bed.

The wind whistling through the window pane was comforting, and I briefly closed my eyes to just absorb it. I loved the Burrow. I loved Ginny and Ron and the twins and their parents and older brothers. When I opened my eyes again, Ginny was spread out on her bed on her back, relaxing as well. Luna mumbled something under her breath, taking her quill to scratch something out on the piece of parchment in front of her. She looked slightly nutty, with those familiar radish earrings dangling from her ears and ink stains on her fingers. I glanced down at Ginny spread-eagle on the large bed, and made a gesture towards Luna. We both rolled our eyes.

"When she gets into the mood," muttered Ginny with a comically morbid face, "she's unstoppable."

"I heard that." She never even looked up and I grinned. "And that as well," her head lifted and she put the quill down on the parchment and looked at her fingers in surprise. I said a quick spell to clean up the mess on her fingers.

"Thanks," she smiled and came over to land lightly on the bed next to me. For a couple of minutes, the companionable silence of friends spending time together reigned. And then-

"So what happened?" Ginny pulled a pillow into her lap and rested her elbows there. The signature blaze of tumbling red curls scattered around her like a halo, and I shook my head at how vibrant she was at this point in the day. "After mystic woman here and Zabini pulled us out? Because that blast of magical energy could be felt three floors down."

"I got mad. He got mad. We got mad."

"Well, we could tell that from a long ways away," Ginny said wryly.

"That's really what happened, though. His magic comes out in the form of whirlwinds, and mine in golden sparks…" My mind wandered back to yesterday's little loss of control and I winced.

"It was quite embarrassing to lose myself like that in public. I like to think that I'm in control at all times."

"I've been meaning to ask you," I said my head suddenly snapped to Luna, "How on earth did you guess that something like that was going to take place?"

"I don't rightly know." Her voice came out extremely amused and her sky blue eyes twinkled, and she leaned back against the headboard. "Who knows? Maybe I'm a direct descendent of Cassandra, the greatest seeing witch ever born."

"Or it could be that Draco's dubious behavior, which included shaking and glaring at Blaise Zabini, gave it away."

My eyes closed and my voice turned snide before I could stop it…I was astounding myself with my own capacity to remain supremely irritated even after leaving the Manor. _He really does bring out the worst in me._ I sighed and my hands absently rose to tangle themselves in my wildly curling mane of unruly dark brown streaked blonde proportions. _If he didn't ask because he knew that I would say no, then obviously 'No' is the right answer. Into the Manor?_ I shook my head in irritation with eyes still shut; knowing the connotations of moving into the Manor was like moving in with a lover or a husband. _Draco Malfoy is neither._ I thought firmly before I sighed again and my hands twisted my hair into a severe bun.

"Where _is_ my bloody scrunchy?" I muttered as my eyes opened. And then I saw the looks. The looks of doom and destruction on the faces of Luna and Ginny…looks that can best be described with two dropped jaws, eyebrows lifted high and utter surprise.

"What?" I asked. "What is it? Is there something on my face?"

My hands immediately left my hair to fly at my face and neck. I frantically rubbed over my tanned skin to find anything.

" 'Draco'? " Ginny's flaming eyebrows threatened to crawl into her flaming hair.

My hands came to an abrupt stop somewhere between my ears and the arch of my nose. My mouth dropped open to match their faces and I felt as if my hair would curl even more wildly around my face.

"When did this happen?" exclaimed Luna with arms gesturing wildly. My eyes just got larger. I had said his name. Out loud, as in…I had uttered it outside of my head and into the general atmosphere.

"Uh…" All the blood rushed to my face. "I…It's not what you think…damn," I ended up muttering with the look of a lovely red tomato and a strong desire to disappear underground. Ginny and Luna let out whoops of utter excitement and then the squealing began.

"Merlin, you're face!" Luna said as she began to laugh hard.

"When-when?"

"You are so red-"

"Hermione! This is huge news-"

"And you're speechless!"

"About friggin' time, _I_ say-"

"Wait!" I said indignantly. "Wait just a bloody minute! I just…-could you stop laughing, Luna?"

I reached out to slap the blonde on her convulsing arm but all she did was twist away from me and continue to laugh, holding her shaking sides.

"Luna!" She looked as if the laughter might never die down and Gin was beginning to chuckle across from her. "Heavens, would you two quit? I had to get him to the door without making him suspicious. I had to throw him off!"

Ginny and Luna sat with their arms folded, both trying to suppress the laughter.

"Because of course the great Hermione Granger couldn't think of _any_ other way to throw Draco Malfoy off," Ginny said. "His name?"

"Really!" I floundered, "it unbalanced him. I got to the door and it was a foolproof plan and-"

"It was," agreed Luna with a twinkle in her sky blue eyes and a deceptive nod of her head. "But it still doesn't explain why you're calling him Draco _now_."

"I-"

"No, no."

Ginny held up a hand to pause my nervous movements and her eyes narrowed as she slowly ran her eyes up and down the length of my body.

"We should analyze your behavior, Hermione. You love to analyze things, don't you?" she asked sweetly. "And you know what I always say – there's no better time for self-reflection than the present!"

I snorted - Ginerva Weasley has never said such a thing a day in her _life_.

"You can't deny that you're getting closer to him and Luna and I want to know why you're running from it."

I pressed my lips tightly together and pasted an innocent I-know-nothing look on my face, served with large brown eyes and a confused gaze, and then beamed it at my friends. Would they fall for it?

"Running from what?"

"Him. You. You two, you know, _together_."

Clearly, they wouldn't. I hadn't the faintest idea how to feign ignorance in front of these two.

"It's obvious that he cares about you," Gin continued as she propped herself more comfortably against the headboard of the bed. "In fact, you'd have to be blind not to see it. He's certainly as protective as any one of the boys."

_Is she calling me blind?_

"And he's just as smart as you are so I'm sure there'll be no lack of intellectual stimulation," said Luna.

"And speaking of stimulation," interrupted Ginny with a wicked smile on her freckled face, "he's exceptionally good-looking. I can't believe he's kept his hands off of-"

"Ginny!"

Three heads snapped toward the closed bedroom door, outside of which Ron's voice could be heard crystal clear. All in the room froze. Three eyes widened, and three bodies simultaneously went into action.

"Uh-oh!" Ginny whispered and bounded off of the bed before actually replying to her brother.

"Yeah?" she shouted. "Hold on a sec!"

"Ginny? Do you know what a toenail clipper is?"

I paused in my running to send Ginny a dumbfounded look. That was probably the singular most random question in the world. Luna's face was an exact mirror of mine, and we all looked at the door in unison. The turning of the doorknob cut that look off very quick, and I dove into the bedroom closet and shut the door as Ron apparently entered the room. My hiding place on the floor, as well as being covered with stylish shoes and a comfy pillow, also muffled the sound. I could hear Ron, but only just barely.

"Do you know what a toenail clipper is, Ginny?"

There was a short silence before I heard a vague thump, a squeal and then a yell.

"What?" that was Ron. "Fine! Do _you_ know what it is, Luna?"

I heard Luna voice murmur gently before Ron sounded disgruntled again. After a series of thumps and knocks, I heard the bedroom door slam closed. I counted up to 20 seconds before opening the closet door to peer about the room.

"It's fine 'Mione," Ginny grumbled from the bed. I pushed the closet door wide open and stumbled back into the dim light of the room. I turned to push the door closed, then strolled back to the bed and made myself comfortable underneath the blankets next to Luna.

"What was that all about?"

"He's playing some dumb game with the twins and is losing desperately because he doesn't know any of the Muggle contraptions that they are talking about." She shifted and rolled her eyes. "It's like…a guessing game of sorts. Except they're guessing on Muggle stuff and they are betting something."

Chances were the betting was slightly dangerous, with the twins involved.

"Oh," I said. "Did you tell him what it is? Also don't forget to remind me to call my parents in an hour."

"No. Luna did."

Luna grinned and shook her head.

"Despite that very interesting respite from the important conversation we were having, we shall go back to talking about you and Draco."

"That'll cheer me right up," Ginny brightened visibly with a smile. "Tell Luna about the kiss."

"What kiss?" Luna said looking between the two of us.

"Which kiss?" I asked.

Sometimes I forgot just how girly the redhead could be.

"See?" Ginny squealed and looked self-righteous. "There's definitely more than one to talk about!"

I sighed.

"It's hard to describe the kisses, or rather one of them. There've only been two, " I paused to count them off on my finger. "Both on my front porch, actually. Have you kissed Dean yet?"

"No," Luna answered with a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and she sat straight up despite the soft pillows behind her. I ran a quick critical eye over her, and came to a conclusion. Luna shrugged her shoulders and laughed. "We aren't...like that."

_Something's up._

"Let's talk about your problem first," she said calmly, "and then perhaps we may talk about mine."

My eyes were still narrowed but her sky blue ones refused to yield up any information.

"It was a kiss."

"_Just _a kiss?"

I snorted. It was-

"Ridiculously arousing…heat…uncontrollable…red…a haze…" My eyes eased open to see both Ginny and Luna smirking. "It was actually a lot like being drunk."

"Interesting descriptions," Ginny said with a smug look, shaking her hair from side to side. "Especially since we know you've never been a stone's throw past slightly intoxicated. And the second one?"

"That one was entirely different," I said earnestly. "I'm guessing the Ministry's creation of a mental bond complicates and magnifies things. I could feel what he was feeling and he could feel what I was feeling and it was like…"

_It was like no other kiss I've ever experienced before._

I halted suddenly and blushed.

"I am sounding stupid and foolish and extremely cliché but it was like drowning. The bond allowed us to just…it wasn't just me anymore. It was the two of us, you know, together."

I looked at Ginny and Luna with a helpless smile.

_I'm not making any kind of sense._

"That about sums it up," Ginny said with a sage nod. Her nimble fingers began to play with the decorative threads on the edges of the red pillow in her lap. "It gets even deeper, even more intense the longer you've known him."

"It happened faster?"

She nodded.

"By the end of the first week, it was already really active."

Unintentionally, we both turned to look at Luna whose smile was quickly turning wan. My look was questioning and Ginny's was curious; it wasn't before long, that Luna's eyes shifted away from ours and her mouth opened reluctantly.

"Believe me, Dean is funny and sweet and friendly. We're really good friends – and I kind of think that that's the problem."

"Go on," I said as I leaned in closer.

"It's just…I don't know…He..." She sighed and looked down at the comforter, her graceful fingers twisting it to and fro.

"Spit it out already!"

"Dean is in love with Lavender."

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

For all of two minutes, I very clearly wondered whether she'd simply gone to some other part of the Manor.

I dismissed it immediately.

I was on the verge of madness, staring at the empty room and not knowing where she was. I raked my hands through my blonde hair and panic rose up like a primal beast, trying to tear at the security I could have had in knowing she was safe and alive any sanity that I could have held unto to at least buck up and come up with a plan. It was the worst feeling in the world, to momentarily not be in control and not know where she was.

My only comfort was that I would have know for sure if she had encountered any sort of trouble.

_Yes_, I reasoned to myself to slowly try and overcome the beast. _Highly improbable that something happened to her. I would have known the minute that she got into danger_.

I would have known.

I _should_ have known.

"I should have seen it coming," I muttered to myself as I strode over to the neatly made bed to rip the covers off. There was no one. She was gone. "As if Hermione Granger would let her captor off that nicely."

I threw the blanket back over the bed haphazardly and strode around the bed. There was no trace of her at all, not even a scent, and the bedroom wasn't warm. She'd been gone long enough.

She hadn't even had the decency to leave a note.

Truly? Could she _really_ not have had the sense to at least tell me that she'd left safely? She didn't _need_ to tell me _where_ on earth she'd gone but she could have at least said that she'd gone elsewhere. I could barely control the shaking in my hands when I strode back into my room to use my phone.

"Zabini."

"Draco?"

"She was furious. She was upset. And now she's gone."

"Wait…" There was a pause before I heard various sounds of surprise from all of my best friends. Blaise's deep voice swelled louder to overwhelm the noise. "I beg your pardon? She's what?"

"I woke up this morning to find the house empty of her presence," I bit out. "She's gone, left, disappeared, run away-"

"She'll be with her friends," Blaise said sensibly. "Most likely one of the girls."

I stopped. I should have thought of that first.

"You must be right," I growled.

What I need is

"Surely," a different voice interrupted, "you didn't think she would accept this laying down? You know her much better than we do and I could have told you that."

"Is that Theo?" I asked. "Scolding me?"

There was a rustling sound then static.

"It is," replied Blaise. "And I agree - I would try the Weasley's place first because the sister wouldn't necessarily parade Granger around. It is possible for her to be there."

They were right of course.

"Go to the Weasley home and then try Miss Lovegood's house," Blaise repeated. "Let us know if you need anything."

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

Ginny and I looked at each other, with twin expressions conveying confusion.

"But Lavender died," Ginny said slowly, "in the War. Seamus died trying to save her and her family. You _know_ that."

Seamus had spent his last moments fighting desperately to protect his girlfriend Lavender from an impromptu Death Eater attack on her family's home in Brunswick. Lavender also died, leaving silence in the wake of the loud laughter that she had brought to the Order. Parvati had been devastated, as had been Dean.

And I know that Harry had been distraught as he'd watched Dean try to recover in the last few months.

"Of course I know that," Luna said quietly. "I do -I know that. But it doesn't change what I think he feels."

Her hands twisted and twisted the comforter. Betraying any sign of nervousness was not a very Luna-like trait.

"How do you know?"

"He has this picture by his bed of Lavender and Seamus."

"Luna!" Ginny said, a mite angrily. "Listen to yourself. Seamus, his best friend is in the picture too, you know."

I had no idea what to say but Luna's hands stopped moving for a long moment.

"It's not just that," she replied. "You know how he was always taping us during DA meetings when the adults were having their Phoenix Meetings? There's some sort of magical recording he has of us fooling around, yet the only voice that's clearly audible is Lavender's."

"So?"

"He plays it all the time," she said quietly and her hands began worrying the blanket again. "And she's keeps saying 'I love it! Dean, you know me so well' in this voice…"

Alright, so I _really_ didn't know what to say to her. When I looked at Gin, the redhead looked equally as helpless but also quite irritated. I didn't know where the irritation was coming from.

"Luna," Ginny ducked her face down to Luna's level, trying to peer into her eyes. "Listen to me. It's in your head."

Apparently, our best mate was hard of hearing. She continued on as if Gin had never spoken.

"And I would say the same thing if it weren't for the tail ends of thoughts I keep catching in his head. 'I miss…miss her scent…color'…It's things like that."

Let me first say that I would have never believed that Dean was in love with Lavender when she was alive. I cannot believe that Luna would believe that. But one couldn't help but wonder when suspicion takes root. The Ministry had gone and complicated things further, tampered with privacy so that while it wasn't impossible to hide your deepest thoughts and feelings it now took twice as much work.

My eyebrows wrinkled...Luna would be able to sense his deepest feelings. And unless Dean was skilled enough to project false thoughts and emotions at Luna, (and why would he even want to?) Luna was making something out of something.

"I just can't help feeling that I'm competing with something that I cannot top," Luna said quietly and finally looked up.

"I believe you," I said firmly. "You yourself said Dean isn't too good at hiding how he thinks and what he feels through the link. I do believe you."

I glanced at Gin, urging her to agree.

"I mean, I don't _not _believe you," she said after shaking her head, "it's just that I would have never thought that this could be true…it can't be. There's no way that Dean is in love with Lavender. But if you feel like you need to validate it, then go right-"

But before Ginny could say anything more, the door to her bedroom flew open to reveal a bunch of guys standing beyond the mantel. I counted off unconsciously before naming them.

_Harry, Fred, George, Dean, Ron and…_

My jaw dropped.

There was no time to hide and I think that my muscles would not have cooperated, in any case. My mouth was currently unhinged, allowing for generous viewing of my teeth. Draco Malfoy was standing next to all of my guy friends. I mentally shrugged off the importance of that fact to focus on Draco. He stood there dressed in total black, his pants making him look tall and his shoulder-length silver blonde hair contrasting with the black of his sweater. But the most surprising thing about the whole situation was that all of them, _without_ exception were standing there with smiles on their faces.

Every last one of them. This couldn't mean anything good.

Not only did I not sense his arrival or what he was currently feeling, which actually meant even worse (He couldn't possibly have figured out how to block me, could he?) but he was smiling at me. I don't know if anything could have worried me more.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

I had arrived at the Weasley's place about twenty-minutes before this, coming up with a plan on the way to their place. My first thoughts were of pure anxiety. Truly, has a Malfoy ever come to the Weasley place for any reason besides mocking or torture?

_I think not._

Not only did Weasley almost faint when he opened the door to me standing on his stoop, but he called in back up. Thus, all the boys but Longbottom were brought in. The older Weasley twins had been taken aback to see a Malfoy in their own home, and I suspected that I might be in for a long afternoon of ragging from the two of them. I could put up with the ragging as long as I could shock her. It took maybe two minutes to revive the foolish redhead and calm down the fiery twins and then another ten minutes to explain my plan which had a fifty percent chance of working.

It was based entirely on the silent-treatment.

Never let it be said that Malfoys were anything but the height of politeness, though, so I would never be so ill-bred as to do it plainly. My plan was to keep a relatively relaxed profile at the Weasleys that day, giving me numerous opportunities to antagonize the silly brunette.

"Weaselette," I said with a bright smile on my face. "We're going to play Quidditch and wanted to know if you wanted to join."

I knew damned well that she wasn't capable of a proper answer since her mouth had snapped shut.

I was going to go ahead and consider her _and _Lovegood the enemy since they had clearly been doing their very best to help Granger out of a tight spot. I tried not to snort – the Manor? a tight spot? – when the redhead swallowed intensely. But I wouldn't look at the one I really wanted to look at. I was too afraid I'd reach into the room and simply shake her to pieces.

I hadn't had a clue of what she was thinking or feeling yesterday, which means that she had been doing _something_ to distract me. I could have slapped myself when I realized that it was obvious now that she had been mentally blocking me. I hadn't even thought about all the ways the link could really be used. Now I was mentally prepared, feeling out the part of her that was closest to me and keeping the surrounding area blank.

Two could play this game.

"So yes or No, Gin?" Potter asked.

"Uh-uh…" she stuttered with an entirely guilty look on her face. "N-no, I'll decline."

"Come on," Thomas shrugged, his whole 6'7 body turning away from the door to head back down the stairs. "We'll be out back!"

With waves we all trooped back down the stairs.

But as soon as we were outside, Thomas began to chuckle. So the chuckle turned into laughter and one by one, we joined in.

"Mate, did you see her _face_?" Weasley and Potter began to guffaw loudly, slapping each other on the backs as they stumbled out through the door. Everyone turned to me and congratulated me on a completely cool and breezy demeanor.

"Good plan," said Dean as he patted me on the back.

I smiled modestly.

"So you've just got to keep doing what you're doing."

And that's exactly what I planned to do.

We played Quidditch in that backyard for hours. It was a new experience, playing Seeker for a motley crew I would have never imagined. Unfortunately, I couldn't catch the Snitch because it hid somewhere that neither one of us would have looked…I certainly would not have ventured to touch even if I had looked: Potter's crotch. Snitches must have minds of their own – bewitchment _simply_ cannot do that.

When I pointed this out, one of the twins suggested we simply fly around for awhile.

"Alright!"

We flew around for the better part of two additional hours, and by the time we rolled off it was already two in the afternoon.

The flying was good – it kept my mind off of what I wanted to say to Granger. It made me forget that I'd nearly had a coronary this morning in the minutes before I'd been reassured that the bond would have told me she was in trouble. It absolutely kept me from wandering whether I should keep things distant and simply ignore her, or have it out in front of her friends.

"Food?" someone shouted and we all trooped in to the house and through the hallways to the cozy Weasley kitchen.

As we noisily made our way through the Weasley home, I took the time to make concrete judgments. She didn't want to live at the Manor and she was making damned sure that I knew that. It wasn't that I'd expected her to simply not make a fuss, but surely she could have…no, the fight had made communication difficult. I could accept that. What I was unwilling to accept was this complete disregard for feelings. She'd escaped, true, but I'd come here for something.

What I came to look for was Granger. And I intended to get her back.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

"Jesus Christ above…" I muttered as I ran my hands through my hair. Draco was here.

On the earth.

In the country.

In the backyard of the Weasley house.

Outside playing Quidditch with the boys like they were all one jolly bloody family. Luna and Ginny looked just as shocked as I felt.

"I have no idea what's going on but I'd like to find out," murmured Ginny as she hopped off of the bed and stomped over to the still open bedroom door. "And how rude of them to leave it open like this!"

"What I want to know is why he didn't say anything to you," said Luna as her fingers counted off, "or look at you, past that very first assessment, or so much as yell at you. I think you should be on high alert."

Ginny slammed the door and marched back over to the bed to plop on it angrily. She expelled a great deal of breath before rolling her eyes and settling down again.

"Holy shit."

It was an adequate summary of the situation.

"Goodness," Luna said with a strange look, "he was angry."

There was no doubt in my mind that he was angry. What I couldn't understand is how I couldn't feel a damned thing through the link. Usually, it just sort of sent information about his emotional state whenever he was close by. Today, it was just blank.

Blank.

Like he didn't exist on the other end.

_He's finally learned how to block me, has he?_ I thought worriedly. I couldn't believe he'd figured it out. _This can't be good. _

"Should we-"

"Ignore it," I said firmly. "When we get downstairs I'm sure something will happen. For now, we ignore it. Tell me about Ron and Padma."

"Nothing's up with them," said Luna patting my hand. "They're becoming friends before doing much of anything else. Ron's protective streak is stretching to include her."

"Neville's the one having problems,"

"That Cho Chang is a real cow!" snarled Ginny, still fuming from against the door.

"Ginny!" said Luna with a frown on her face.

Ginny shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes at Luna's sigh.

"Cho Chang lost Marietta, you know the one…the snitch from the DA, in the War. And," Luna said holding up a hand to stop Ginny's indignant replies, "before you say that we all have, which is true, she isn't a part of our group. She's chosen to become a recluse and doesn't have many good friends."

"You're friends with her, then?"

Luna moved her head noncommittally, and I was surprised.

"I didn't know that."

"I ran into her about two weeks ago, and we've been talking since." She paused and lifter her hands to touch her chin as she thought. "In fact, I rather think that she is actually very good friends with Pansy."

"Pansy?"

"Yes," Luna answered unfazed. "Anyway, Cho has been through as much as any one. It's only recently that she's popped up to a decent weight, and even then-and you'll see this when you see her, she's a bit skinnier than she used to be."

It was easy to forget that many had suffered these last 2 years.

"That doesn't excuse her ridiculous behavior," said Ginny, her wine red hair tossing them. "Of course Neville's only recently told us this and Luna knows the intimate stuff because she's pieced it together on her own. Neville's told a lot more to the boys, even though he's a naturally introverted person."

"And there's no reason why he would lie," Luna said, her eyes turning from Ginny's to mine.

I lay back on the bed. My eyes absently focused on a roof tile to occupy themselves.

"At work today?"

"Unfortunately," Luna said delicately, "although he's always at work these days."

I would have loved to ask if he'd told her anything about what he was working on but-

"Whatever," interrupted Ginny as she stood. "How about we go downstairs to grab something to eat?"

Something to eat. In the kitchen. Downstairs, where Draco Malfoy was probably plotting the end of my life?

"Why not?" I asked with determination. "To the gallows we go."

**oo**

"…So I was telling him that it wasn't funny!" Ginny was saying about two hours later as we sat around the dining table. We'd been laughing and cracking jokes the whole time, and previously I had been secretly wondering where Draco was. His behavior was unprecedented and I had been wondering how to deal with it, but as the hours slipped by he slipped right out of mind.

"I mean, have you ever seen someone slip and almost crack their heads open because of an icy floor?" Ginny said with a grave look on her face. Luna and I burst out laughing. "I mean, after you stop laughing and think about it's-" She interrupted herself and made a face. "Actually, it's still really funny but it's really scary!"

We just kept laughing and she joined in.

"So how's Percy doing?" I asked, using my straw to swirl my drink and leaning forward to rest my elbows on the table.

"He's doing just fine," Ginny said with a smile. Percy Weasley had ultimately chosen the Bright Side, when the War had come. Although he was welcomed back with open arms by Mrs. Weasley, and Ginny and Bill had forgiven him soon after, it would take a lot of time for him to patch things up with the rest of his still-livid brothers and father. But Ginny, Luna and I held out hope. Time could heal things between all of them, though it would not erase it. He and Bill were closest now, communicating often and visiting each other all the time.

"Actually, he is planning on coming over next week with his fiancée so that she can meet Mum and Dad."

"Who is she?"

"Do you remember Penelope Clearwater?"

I remembered a tall and very pretty girl, with long dark curly hair who Percy had been quite enamored with the summer before Second or Third Year.

"I do," I said with a surprised look. "She was quite pretty…I take it she hasn't come to visit yet?"

"Nope," Ginny said after taking a large slurp of her own hot chocolate. "But she was his first love, as far as I know. He and I are both lucky to end up with our firsts." A happy little smile drifted over Ginny's face before we were interrupted by the noise of stomping feet and jostling bodies, and the smell of sweat and the outdoors filled the kitchen. Why? Because the boys had come.

Immediately, my heart filled with trepidation.

They trooped into the kitchen, laughing and joshing each other around and smelling of sweat and the outside. Dean, who is naturally large, seemed to crowd the kitchen. The bright colors of their hair stood out in the lighting of the now-crowded kitchen – the messy raven black, choppy red shoulder length hair, the perfectly straight silver blonde, the close shaven afro and more short red hair. All glinted in the light.

"Starving, mate!"

"Oy!"

Various voices called out and we just nodded to acknowledge their presence. They swarmed around and over us, a single moving mass of maleness that was looking for easy snacks to devour. The pumpkin pasties that Mrs. Weasley had presumably set out were found out and tossed through the air to each other. After firmly clutching two or three pasties, the boys spread out around the kitchen to lean against clean hard counters. And as they finally settled themselves around the room talking to each other, all three of us girls looked at them.

_Look at him,_ I thought to myself as I tried to gaze at Draco inconspicuously. I was sitting at the table and facing the door that they had come trooping through so I could avoid the eyes of most of the boys. I was ridiculously uncomfortable knowing that **he** was in the room, and I was using my immense and wavy hair to hide my face but sneaking glances at Draco the whole time. I hadn't noticed his loose forest green tee-shirt and baggy jeans this morning but I noticed them now. Sweat made the pale face gleam and the fair hair stick to the sides of his face. His gray-blue eyes shone as he and Harry laughed over something. I tried to feel something – anything! – from him in the part of me that was closest to the fresh forest flavor that his mind usually felt like. I got nothing from him – he was completely closed off to me. He didn't look at me…in fact, his back turned towards Harry and away from me as they patted each other on the back.

Honestly, I'd planned to ease them into friendship. From the looks of things they'd bonded over Draco planning my demise!

_Damn it._

"So how was the game?" asked Luna. She swirled the glass of water in front of her with a straw, arms moving as her eyes glanced at Dean then looked away. Dean didn't notice. But Ginny and I did, and we exchanged looks before turning to hear Fred answer.

"Well Ronniekins saved everything but two." A smug look crossed Ron's face and I smiled as he looked at us sitting by the bed. He winked and folded his hands across his chest, leaning even farther back against. "Oy, don't let it get to your head, brother."

"And those two maniacs," said Dean inclining his head toward the two grinning twins, "nearly killed the rest of us with their speedy Bludgers."

He wiped sweat off of his brow and took a swig of his water.

"And the Snitch?"

Harry and Draco looked at each other, the Boy Who Lived grinning and my betrothed wrinkling his fair brow in what looked suspiciously like distaste. Good Lord, they were close enough to be sharing _looks_? Years of hostility and rivalry had been forgotten during a _Quidditch _game?

I could have banged my head against a wall!

"The Snitch hid itshelf in pwain sh'ight," explained Ron from opposite me. He'd chomped into the pasty, and his voice was muffled through the thick pumpkin filling and crust. I rolled my eyes as his mouth opened and I saw what he was eating. "I mean it hid itself in plain sight."

"Where?" Luna asked curiously.

Draco's lips thinned, Ron's mouth shut around its bulging contents and Harry shook his head ruefully.

"Harry's crotch," said George seriously, his freckled face grave and his eyes unsmiling.

There was a second of silence before all the girls and half of the guys burst out laughing. I giggled, looking up from the table to look at Harry who was laughing the hardest and Draco who had turned bright pink with embarrassment. His gray-blue eyes were narrowed and gritty, making him look grumpy and pointed toward the ceiling. And adorable. Very grump and gritty and adorable. I couldn't stop the thought even as I laughed along with everyone else. When those gray-blue eyes turned to me, my bubbling laughter was cut short and my own eyes snapped away. Thankfully, no one noticed.

"Oy," interrupted Fred as he pushed himself off a counter. "It's been awhile – how about we all get out of here tonight? Somewhere in the city just to paint the town a bit?"

Dean crossed the room to sit next to Luna and I watched her light up a little.

"There's a new place that I've heard of that I mentioned to Luna the other day."

He turned to her for a prompt and they made faces as they tried to remember the name together.

"Wasn't it something like 'Delightful Dining'?" he asked.

"No, no…It was something to do with eating."

"Hmm…Egregious Eating?"

The look she shot him was both dubious and amused.

"Not even close," Luna said lightly. "It's Enchanted Eats!"

"Food supposed to be good?" Harry asked.

"Rave reviews," Luna said.

The decision was made quickly (actually the boys were overwhelmingly in favor) and I simply let myself listen to all the cheerful chaos. In addition to trying not to watch Draco out of the corners of my eyes.. It was a struggle to keep my eyes from wondering back to the enigma that the world called Draco Malfoy. He _still_ didn't seem angry. He didn't seem worried or disappointed. He didn't seem…anything.

And the bond _still_ told me nothing.

"Hey," said Fred, standing up straight and pushing himself off the counter. His clear blue eyes were staring straight at Draco despite the four inches difference in stature; the set of his chin looked more challenging than welcoming. "You're coming with, right?"

The kitchen was quiet as everyone, including myself, looked to Draco for a reply. For a fraction of a moment, his thin pink lips parted and stayed open and his brow wrinkled in uncertainty - his hesitation was evident. After that stunt they had pulled this morning, I could see that the boys would be on his side regardless. It wasn't as if he had anything to lose, and he had much to gain.

Of course, he would accept.

"Why not?"

"Good." George nodded his approval – I guessed that Draco had passed whatever test that had been. He started moving towards the door, talking over his shoulders. "Make sure you actually _invite_ your beaus, even if you aren't on friendly terms with them right now."

Well, if that wasn't a shot aimed at me then I couldn't tell you what was. I flushed pink before glaring back.

With George's departure, the hustle and bustle to go off and finish whatever needed to be done commenced. I absently used my spoon to swirl my hot chocolate, deciding that it would be best if I let everyone leave first before putting my stuff in the sink. If no one started on the dishes, I would grab a book and-

-and pretend that I didn't have something to resolve with a certain blond?

I was not a coward. I had done nothing wrong. In fact, I'd acted upon my right for freedom and decided to leave a situation I'd thought was impossible. I'd left a note near the bed. I'd done him the courtesy of waiting until he was peacefully asleep to leave his home. I'd done nothing wrong. Why should I have to avoid him in my own best mate's house? How on earth did that make any sense?

I sniffed and stirred my hot chocolate faster.

I knew an impending thunderstorm when I saw one. Whatever Draco was offended about had to be a bit deeper than my taking leave of his home. Honestly, he was ignoring me as if I'd committed some capital crime! Me! Hermione Granger! Had he honestly thought I would play the part of the subservient would-be Pureblood wife? And do what, twiddle my thumbs as he forced me to move in?

I shook my head and continued to think and stare at the table beneath my glass.

I did not feel guilty. Guilt would imply that I'd wronged him somehow; that I'd broken a rule. There were no rules in this relationship.

_None, _I thought firmly.

I sighed again, and then realized that the noise had died down. It seemed as if I was alone, so without looking up I rose from my seat and turned toward the sink. When I finally looked up my heart nearly stopped and I squealed. I had been wrong…I was all alone with Draco Malfoy.

He looked very alarmed that I had screamed but it didn't make me feel better in the least.

"Goodness," I said with a loudness that came from being frightened. "You scared me! I thought I was alone!"

He quickly went from consciously alarmed to still and cold.

"Well," he said in a grim voice. "Maybe if you had paid attention to your surroundings rather than sighing and staring into the dregs of your hot chocolate, you would have noticed that I was still here."

The grim look disappeared as suddenly as if a sharp wind from the muggy rainy outside had blown it off of his face. The wrinkles smoothed, the lips plumped and he looked as unconcerned as if he were talking to someone not particularly pleasing or displeasing. _At least I know he feels **something**_

"I trust you'll be there tonight?" He bowed from the waist upwards and swept his arms gallantly. I just stared at him, then nodded. He turned from me with a smirk and moved off towards the door. But I needed an answer. I-

"Wait!" I said. He paused without turning, and I found myself looking at his back. He said nothing and I hesitated before speaking. "W-why aren't you angry? Or worried?"

As soon as I finished asking the question, I worried that I'd miscalculated his expression.

The silence stretched on for a tense moment. Why, why, _why _had I asked him that? I wrung my hands worriedly as he turned with this look on his face that confirmed my worries.

Suddenly he disappeared from view. I started forward in total alarm before two arms slipped around my waist and I was pulled into a body.

_Draco._

This fact did not comfort me much for his breath was flowing through curls that had escaped my bun and tickling my ear, and the embrace was anything but welcoming. The hard planes of his body were almost totally unfamiliar to me, and God knew that this couldn't be mistaken for an embrace. Now the cushioning of the sweaty tee-shirt he wore did little to separate me from that closeness and I was somehow too alarmed to even breathe. I didn't know what he wanted to do so I could only do what was left for me to do - I stiffened and held as still as he had just moments before.

"Granger."

Shackles couldn't have kept me this still.

"You said you were scared just now, didn't you? Let's talk about 'scared'."

It was a whisper that blew against a spot right behind my ear. I shivered, wanting nothing more than to lean into him or run. I wanted both, and so I did neither.

"You cannot possibly imagine what I felt when I opened that door this morning."

I had _grossly _miscalculated the situation. I licked my lips and worried. The softness of his voice was only comparable to how dangerous he sounded. I'd thought he was angry? I tried to stiffen against the tremor that threatened to run through my body for an entirely different reason than the last one.

"But I left a-"

He made a sound that cut me off, almost like laughing, before his arms tightened.

"Perhaps I should enlighten you?"

Without warning, Draco Malfoy lifted the mental barrier that he had put in place to bar me, and all of his emotions crashed in like the water through a broken damn. I can only describe it as finding myself suddenly in the midst of a magical whirlwind that had bits and pieces of sharp twigs and leaves caught up in it. Fear surrounded me first, catching hold of my lungs and flattening until there was no more space for me to breathe in. I gasped as my hands flew to my throat.

Less than a second later, it was anger…the kind that was leashed because it would do no good if it were to be let go. I could see the empty bed, a clear double image set against the background of the Weasley kitchen, and my eyes tried to adjust and make sense of the conflicting images. The anger caught quick as the sharp pieces of the analogy bruised. It was…_hurt?_ My lungs refused to open up. And just as quickly as the damn waters had crashed in, they suddenly pulled out.

I was left on my knees in the middle of the kitchen floor, gasping for breath and entirely alone.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

My initial goal was _not_ to cut off her air supply.

It wasn't even to unlock my mind and allow her to get a mere taste of what I had been feeling earlier. I would have left if she hadn't asked that question. I could have left earlier but instead I had chosen to address her question, and now that left us in an even stranger emotional state than before. Even knowing how angry I was, she'd tried to make an excuse for her behavior. Now, I was sitting outside the Weasley home, in the backyard where we had played Quidditch only moments before. I was still sorely angry at Granger, but knowing that she was fine had certainly been a relief. I ran my hands through my hair, and shook my head. The sweat made the hair cling to the back of my neck and the sides of my face, and I reached up to neatly tie my long hair back.

_And now we're supposed to go out tonight?_

I sighed. Saying yes might have very possibly been a regrettable mistake. I didn't know how I would act around her, or she around me. It was all very uncertain now, what with our lack of communication and conflicting feelings. Being on the same planet with Hermione Granger was difficult, much more being in the same restaurant…I shook my head again and stood, brushing off my black sweats and making a move toward the Weasley gate. I was going to clean up nicely, and leave Granger alone to think about what she had done wrong.

_Well,_ I thought with a grim face pointed straight ahead. _This is going to be fun._

**oo**

"Why are you lagging behind?"

The shout came from the front of the group, where the Weasley twins and their best buddy Lee were laughing and singing raucously with Weasley, Potter, Thomas and Longbottom. It was already a little past eight o'clock in the evening and those damned twins had insisted on heading there on foot because everyone was coming from different directions. All of the girls had shown up in various states of pleasure ranging from delighted to unhappy.

I said nothing in reply to the shout, but strode quickly up ahead to catch up with the rest of the boys. Once there, I nodded at the men and kept an eye out to observe the rest of the party.

In front of me, Katie Bell and Angelina Johnson were walking arm in arm next to the twins and chattering happily about whatever it is that girls chatter about as they are walking arm in arm down the street at dusk. They were both dressed comfortably and identically in Muggle wear, jeans and white button up shirts, although wear Johnson's wildly curly hair was up in a high ponytail Bell's straight blond hair was left to down to her shoulders. They were right at the front with their fiancées. Alicia Spinnet was holding hands with Lee Jordon, her thick brown hair coming out of its bun as she yelled about something or other to a Weasley twin who was trying to avoid her waving fists (I still couldn't tell them apart…I relied entirely upon their fiancées gazes to tell who was who).

Good God, I'd never thought I'd see the day that I'd willingly subject myself to Gryffindor companions.

Immediately behind them in the row that I was walking were many from my own Year. Farthest from me was my own girl, Granger. Because I couldn't help but let my eyes attach stare at her, I soaked in the bright blue summer dress that stopped at her calves, and the matching sandals and earrings that she wore. Of course, she looked gorgeous. She was the prettiest girl here, in my opinion, yet she was the most difficult to deal with. We hadn't spoken to each other since the incident in the afternoon, I was aware that she had been staring at me on-and-off throughout the evening but I made no attempt to walk next to her, much less talk to her.

I wanted her to understand that I was angry.

I wanted her to think long and hard about, the ungrateful witch. I squared my shoulders and pointed my chin as I made the choice to ignore her for the rest of the evening.

My eyes moved on to her redheaded lively girl best friend, who was dressed in the most revealing shirt I'd ever seen. Despite the fact that it became her extremely well (or maybe in spite of it), it also drew ridiculous amounts of attention and she was now busy arguing with her brothers over her choice of tops. Next to Weasley were Thomas and Longbottom who were discussing this year's Quidditch prospects for the Holyhead Harpies. It was an odd contrast to see the one who was of such large stature to be standing next to someone who was one of the shortest in the entire group. I'd had no idea thatt Thomas and Longbottom were so close, actually.

Behind us were the rest of the girls. Luna Lovegood was looking quite ethereal dressed all in white, and fairly floating down the sidewalk with light and even steps. She had smiled at me earlier in an encouraging sort of way, and so I deemed that she wasn't half-bad. Padma Patil, who had turned out to be Weasley's unlikely betrothed, was dressed in red skirt that swirled around her ankles and seemed to be charmed not to touch the ground. She wore gold on her ears and around her neck and wrists, reminding me of the Gypsy witches of old. She had an arm around a sullen Cho Chang, who kept shooting ugly glances at Longbottom's back. She was dressed very elegantly in black, from top to bottom, and my first impression was of a storm cloud…Come to think of it, she still looked like a storm cloud.

I tried not to wince when I thought of how appropriately that adjective could be applied to my own emotions.

"Why can't you be less…?" Ronald Weasley made wild motions with his hands as he pleaded with her. "We're going to a restaurant, not a club!"

"It's a restaurant with a dance floor," Weaselette answered with crossed arms. "And how is it my fault that people are staring at me? It's simply a halter! It's not even a V-neck"

"I don't care what it's called," one of the twins said firmly, "just put on my cloak already!"

The way she sniffed would have done my godfather proud.

"No."

"Gin-" Weasley began again.

"Harry!" She whipped around to face Potter who looked visibly hesitant to enter such an argument.

"Leave me out of it," he murmured as he detached himself from both his best friend and his girl friend with an apologetic smile to move next to me.

"Doesn't look like they'll let up soon," I muttered to Potter as we purposely strolled away from the arguing siblings. He nodded carelessly. "Are they always like that?"

"All the Weasley men are intensely protective," Potter said by way of an answer. "Ron's just the most…verbal."

I nodded and we continued on until we reached an old shop.

The only thing that would give any witch or wizard a clue that this wasn't just a closed-down store front was the small dark blue pointed hat that stood just on the inside of the dusty store window. As I watched, it glimmered into a piercing electric blue then faded out again. As usual, Muggles didn't see the restaurant at all. I watched as eyes slid from the preceding store to the hair salon place right next door, and I imagined that we looked like fools standing out in front of what might have been long-closed warehouse to Muggle eyes.

"What to do now?"

"Wait," whispered Fred/George with a mischievous smile in front of us. His eyes looked over our heads (Well everyone's but Thomas's, anyway) and he scanned the crowd behind us for any Muggle that might be watching. "None. Ok in 5,4,3,2,1-"

The pavement gave way, and the whole lot of us plunged a whopping distance of 15 feet at an unchecked speed before being suddenly pulled up short and being plunked unto our feet carelessly.

Everyone but Lovegood and the twins looked unaffected – I myself was feeling a little unsteady but I soon recovered enough to take a deep breath and straighten up. The funny thing was that for the next few minutes all males immediately looked for their betrothed, to confirm that they were all still alive and none the worse for wear. Feeling faintly uncomfortable with so much unconscious care being paid to everyone else around the room, I turned away to get a good look at my surroundings.

I couldn't resist the urge to turn to see if Granger was well, and so found myself staring straight into her brown eyes briefly before I could drag my gaze away.

"Ugh," I heard Weasley muttered, glaring at his older brother. "You couldn't have given us any warning?"

Merlin, what was she thinking? Her facial expression had been neither apologetic nor defiant. What-

"Welcome to Enchanted Eats!"

The interruption came from a liveried usher who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. I stared at him a moment before my eyes moved back to Granger, moved over her as I made sure she was fine. Said usher clapped.

"Up these stairs is the restaurant. We will be taking you to a table, and the ordering system is rather simple. The menus will appear on the table-"

The usher appeared to notice that the Boy Who Lived was among the group of guests and stumbled over his words. I was mildly impressed when he managed to regain his composure almost immediately and continue in an octave only a little bit higher than his original.

"-simple state your choices. Have identification ready if you would like alcohol. Please go on."

He cleared his throat and bowed deeply. Potter appeared resigned to the special treatment but nodded in a friendly manner. The usher might have died and gone to heaven if he hadn't had a job to do.

"Once you walk through that door, you'll be in," he squeaked. "Enjoy your evening!"

Enjoy my evening, indeed. Honestly, what else could go wrong today?


	20. Break The Ice

Author's Note - Updated January 17th 2012. I've talked to a lot of cool cats thanks to this website. Especially since it's the holidays, I've been thinking of one fan that turned into a penpal – yet I haven't spoken to her in awhile. LunaML, this is for you. I hope that this year wasn't too difficult, I hope you had support and love, and most of all I hope you have comfort. The holidays are always difficult if you've suffered a loss.

This chapter is a little bit screwy too. Also thank you guys, so much, for the continued support! It helps me stay motivated to finish this quickly. Happy belated New Year's!

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**Twentieth Cycle**

**Break The Ice**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

_He's furious._

That single phrase reverberated inside my head, without end. It was all I could ponder during the long afternoon after he left, all that was in my head as I got dressed in the prettiest dress that I could find, and all I could ruminate upon when I saw him looking incredibly attractive and casual in light grey. I didn't regret what I had done – and by God, I'd left a note! – but clearly he hadn't found it and clearly, I might have just…left…with his knowledge.

I didn't know he could care this much.

_Running away without saying anything might **not** have been the smartest thing to do._

I didn't how he could care this much, either.

Just yesterday (and maybe I exaggerate) we'd been enemies. How could he feel like this?

Ginny and Luna tried to cheer me up, but they didn't understand that I wasn't glum. I was simply thoughtful. Draco paid me no mind when we got to the store front, even then, and that drove me even further into a pensive mood. He was completely untouchable – complete with his signature regal bearing and unruffled demeanor, looking every bit the wealthy Pureblood. And I wasn't someone that he wanted to talk to.

This wasn't quite what I pictured freedom from Draco Malfoy would look like.

The Ministry must have seen this in mind – there was no way you could be mentally tied to someone and maintain your distance. Not when you could begin to feel every passing thought in their heads, ever scrap of emotion (acknowledged or not). Just look at Luna and Dean! She could have pretended all she wanted to be indifferent to him around us but the truth of the matter was that no matter what she believed about love, she was rather close to falling into it. To have all of that compounded by a belief that Dean didn't love her? Because she could read his mind and _see _that he didn't? How could she even remain distant?

Was this what was happening with Draco?

I sighed as I adjusted the bright blue sundress that dropped down to mid-calf fashionably. I was willing to go along with the crowd into the restaurant, and I was going to try and have a good time but Draco had effectively put a damper on evening activities for me. And now we all stood at the top of the staircase and in front of a nondescript door, about to head in to a restaurant-

…

…

-that was the least restaurant-like-looking restaurant I'd ever seen.

_Wow._

…_wow._

It was quite impressive, and the running theme of glitter and soft rainbow purple reigned throughout in the form of table cloths and funky Muggle-styled disco-lights. It was a spacious room, about 40 feet in diameter, with the central piece being a lit-up dance floor and everything else built around that. Catchy music was playing, and various men and women of all ages were either on the dance floor and seated at one of the numerous festive tables that were on the perimeter of the dance floor. My eyes drank in the colors that were splashed around the room by magic, and my ears absorbed the music being pumped from the walls. I almost tingled – the place was full of potential for something new and different. _Potential indeed._

All the girls gathered around into a group, with Ginny being at the center. My eyes slid to Draco for a moment, observing his hard profile and the indifferent caste of his face, before looking away to the girls around me.

"Very nice place," said Padma Patil, looking very pretty and quite startlingly similar to a Gypsy in glittery red and gold. Her dark eyes were outlined with kohl, making her look perpetually surprised. Oddly enough, the look worked for her. "Might have to send a food critic in here sometime this week."

"It is," I said. "I'm surprised that it hasn't been mentioned before."

"I'll take care of that," Padma said with a laugh.

"I agree," said Angelina with an excited smile as she turned for a second to check out the tables. "The disco lights are very Muggle-ish, and that puts a different spin on the whole place."

"I personally like the music," said Kate as she bopped along to the quick pop beat. "Sounds Muggle."

"They play both."

"Where'd you hear about it, Luna?" asked Ginny.

"Teen Witch Weekly mentioned it last week, in their 'trend-setter' edition." She swept wavy blonde hair into a high ponytail as she looked up at the ceiling. "It is rather nice. But they need some more Fargles and Gouldooks to liven this place up."

My eyebrows went up.

"Fargles?" asked Alicia.

"Bright orange furry creatures who like to make things more lively with practical pranks and such."

Luna's infamous radish earrings swung as her dreamy pale blue eyes continued to observe the restaurant. She obviously did not find her comment anything out of the way of the ordinary.

There was a short collective silence.

"Oh."

"So," said Ginny moving the conversation right along as we watched the boys try and pick out tables, "is everyone ready to have a good time tonight?"

I noticed that Ginny laid great emphasis on the words when she glanced at Cho Chang.

_Looks like a storm cloud…_

I don't know why Cho Chang had come. She had had the option not to, and she could have surely declined if she'd already known that she was going to be acting like a toddler with an attitude problem. She hadn't said anything yet, so I was truly trying to see her point of view. Her frequent and ugly glances in Neville's direction put words in my mouth that I was hesitant to say (due to their acidity and potential to cause a fight), though.

"Yes," I said brightly and smiled. "Let's all try and have a jolly good time, alright ladies?"

"Ladies!" Fred beckoned us over closer to the boys. "We're getting one big table halfway to that bar on the other side of the room. Let's walk around the dance floor to get there."

As one collective group, we walked. My eyes sneaked over to Draco, and I was totally surprised to see him walking casually next to Harry – both looking like old friends sharing a companionable silence. _Hmph,_ I pouted and looked away. I was doing a lot of surreptitious glancing around, and was annoyed at myself both for being unable to get over my guilt for leaving in a rush and stop looking at him. Ginny was of no help to me, and Luna was busy, being successful at getting Padma and Cho to get along well. I was like a toddler lost in a crowd – entirely on my own.

_Well,_ I thought glumly to myself as I saw that we had reached the table. _This promises to be quite an interesting evening._

As we made our way through the restaurant, people started to notice us. I've never realized but 'Weasley' has become a household name thanks to the enterprising twins, and 'Harry Potter' always has and always will be something of an awe-inspirer. Draco was famous for his riches and his looks as one of England's most eligible bachelors (that bloody _Teen Witch _rag) and I suppose that being the smartest witch of my age probably did get me something as well. Padma was the primary fashion editor for _Mode_, one of the hottest magical style magazines this side of the Atlantic, as well as the writer of her very own advice column in _Witch Weekly_. Luna, of course, was the editor in chief and owner of _The Quibbler_ and everyone else was either good-looking or interesting because they were part of the group. The murmuring began, and Harry found himself as usual the biggest show of the night. He just shook his head and we all continued forward to our seats.

To my utter dismay, many of the boys started turning back to pull their betrothed beside them.

As I was in the very back of the group, it would soon become noticeable that Draco and I weren't talking (as if most present didn't already know). I settled for staring down at my pretty pink painted toes, hoping that it would appear as if I was so engrossed thinking about something that I didn't notice that the group was pairing off.

_Besides,_ I thought while I watched one foot move in front of the other, _Cho's in the same boat._

That's when I looked up to see Cho reluctantly allow herself to be tugged along by a stone-faced Neville.

Oh goody.

Draco and I were definitely and most obviously the only two who weren't on good enough terms to be walking next to each other, not to even think of being capable of speech. This was just annoying. I glanced up again to see Draco laughing, his thin lips pulled back into a genuine smile as he talked with Ginny and Harry.

I prepared to enjoy a very guilt-ridden and pointedly-ignored evening.

**oo**

"A pitcher of pumpkin juice!"

"And one of water."

"Appetizers?"

"Why not skip that and dive right into the main meal?"

"Ron!"

"What, it's just a question!"

"He's got a point, you know. I'm getting hungry just breathing."

I had to roll my eyes at this point.

"Dean!"

"Merlin, you and Ron are the kings of eating!"

Everyone was being rowdy and rambunctious; everyone acting like a huge family and in everyone else's personal space. I was crammed between Ron and Harry, with Ginny on Harry's other side and Padma on Ron's other side. If it had been a strategic move on their part to surround me with couples, I couldn't tell. The wooden table was a riot of color - the bright red and glossy gold from Padma, the pure white of the three older girls and Luna, Gin's vibrant green and the various colors of the boys' jackets and sweatshirts. Sitting next to Ron was like sitting next to tree, (actually sitting next to Dean was literally like sitting next to a tree) and I felt happy that at least everyone else was having fun.

Unluckily for me, Draco was sitting immediately across the table. His eyes were a dark grey now, more apparent against all that pale skin, and his silver shoulder length blonde hair was now tightly pulled back and secured by a black leather thong. I couldn't help but admire the way his-

I took a deep breath and ripped my eyes away from him.

The calls for drinks continued and the corresponding drinks magically appeared. So I smiled a little brighter and jumped right into conversation with Padma, around Ron who was laughing across the table at Dean. After three failed attempts, all botched by Ron's waving limbs, I decided to move Ron next to Harry so that I could successfully talk to Padma.

"Looks like everyone's having fun," Padma said with a friendly grin after I'd finally managed to nudge her betrothed over.

"Yes, it does," I replied and we both looked at our friends. "Thanks…for earlier."

She winked and leaned forward.

"No problem. Ron is driving me nuts and so I'll probably need some cheering up with _him_ around."

She reached down to take her pumpkin juice and gulped down half of the glass before I said anything.

"And how exactly is that going?"

"Ron…" She paused and the smooth dark skin of her wide forehead wrinkled as she thought. "Ron is Ron. He's cute and funny and says the most ridiculous things." Her face lit up as she said this, and I realized with amusement that she was leaning forward and her voice was swelling with something betwixt excitement and amusement.

"Before the War, I'd thought that he was really childish. During the War I had thought that he was funny but childish, and now?" She shot the oblivious redhead a grin and her almost-black liquid eyes twinkled. "I still think he's childish but at least I've got him all to myself."

My eyebrows rose at her words – _all to myself._ She was already laying claim to him and with a start, I realized that I was doing the same thing with Draco. For Merlin's sake, I had even begun calling him by his first name out loud, and that was a complete step forward from the spiteful name-calling that the relationship had been built upon. How could she be so open about it with someone she didn't know very well?

"You're already so…confident in his feelings for you, Padma." I shook my head. "I'm surprised."

She cocked her head.

"Because I was a terribly big flirt in our Hogwarts years?"

I nodded and my eyes strayed briefly from her to the blonde across the table dressed in black.

"And I'm envious."

Her eyes followed the direction of mine own and her smile turned into a frown.

"You and Malfoy haven't said a word to each other all evening. _Still _quarreling?"

I sighed and she took that to be a clear 'yes'. She waved a hand through the air nonchalantly, then reached for the tall clear glass of cold pumpkin juice in front of her.

"It's fine! Ron & I argue all the time." She grinned and nudged me, pointing at Fred and Angelina sitting on the opposite side and end of the table. "And you should see Angelina and Fred go at it on the regular!"

As if on cue, Fred whispered something into Angelina's left ear that made them her dark brown eyes narrow. As we watched, Angelina turned to hit Fred across the shoulder.

"You dolt!" she said before fighting off Fred's excuse for mollification.

Padma turned to me.

"See?"

We laughed.

"It'll pass," she continued. "You probably need to apologize to each other. He's wrong for moving you out and you gave him a shock. It's even. So just get it over with. Of course, it's going to be hard to do. You're both stubborn, as far as I can tell."

I gave her look that said all would be easier said than done.

"We are," I agreed with a frown and reached for my drink. "You hit the nail right on the head."

Ron, with a mouth half full, turned back to us looking vaguely interested.

"Who hit what?" he asked absently.

We looked at each other and burst out laughing.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

She laughed with Padma and as her head moved, the disco lights of purple and red played across the dark brown and gold of her tamed curls. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep my eyes from straying to her figure across the large wooden table. It was actually quite irritating to not be able to play down the need to look at her, but I managed rather well since Thomas and Lovegood kept me quite entertained. They were an odd couple, a pairing that only the Ministry would come up, and they didn't really seem to be interested in each other romantically. They simply acted like jolly good friends and romantic love wasn't readily apparent.

I, on the other hand, would have liked nothing better than to pull Granger into a corner before proceeding to shake her then snog her senseless. We'd kissed twice. Twice! And those two times had been enough to leave me wanting more. Granted, I was still furious that the wench wouldn't see reason but it didn't stop my eyes from looking at her. The bright blue of her summer dress caught my eye again before I could turn away. As I watched, Granger excused herself to go off to the ladies' room. My eyes followed that blue weaving through the crowd and watched her get farther and farther away. The whole time she was away, I was conscious of her absence. When she returned to the table in time for the main course, I silently breathed a bit easier. Not that I would ever let her know.

Ignoring her was far easier said than done.

At least the food was better than sub-par. If I wasn't so busy trying to rub Granger's nose into my pointed silence, it would probably have tasted (dare I say it) delicious. And it _was_ a good time, and I realized that in time, I could become a part of this group of friends.

Then I gagged on the thought.

_Huh,_ I thought wryly as I munched on a crispy golden chip, _the Ministry's vision of global love and friendship might take place yet._

"See, what you need to do is squirt it like this," Thomas said as he leaned into Lovegood to take a straw from her.

He sucked water into the straw from a cup in front of him. As I watched, he blew the water out of the straw and into a miniature shape of Neville Longbottom who was sitting on Lovegood's other side. It hung in the air, gently glowing light blue and taking on the exact form of Longbottom's sweatshirt and baggy jeans. It even had his mussed up hair, and it slowly turned to look at its real counterpart, and grinned then waved. Longbottom, who had looked up to see Thomas' demonstration, smiled slowly and waved back. With an audible _squilch_ the water lost shape and floated down to the rest of the water in the cup.

"You try."

Thomas handed the straw back to Lovegood and I mentally shook my head as she failed on her first try. The two of them huddled closer, Thomas's long torso seeming to surround and enfold her. Funny, I had previously thought they were an odd pairing but perhaps the Ministry hadn't been completely off the mark.

"How did you know the incantation?" I asked curiously.

Lovegood looked surprise, her eyes large and her pale hands sweeping her bangs out of the way.

"He told me," she said as if I were slow.

"No," I said clearly, "he didn't."

"Oh, I meant up _here_." She tapped her temple. "If we focus very hard, we can sort of…converse. It's rather limited though right now."

That attracted some attention, as conversation around the table reached a lull. What she had said was heard clearly by everyone and others paused to look at Thomas and Lovegood in surprise.

"Wait," Ron said with a frown. His hands gestured between the two. "Y-you can hear thoughts?"

"You lot can't?" The couple looked at each other then turned to everyone else at the table. Across the table from me, Potter and Weaselette looked shared a loaded glance before looking around at everyone else as well.

"That's not so strange," the lively redhead volunteered. "Harry and I can have conversations without talking."

A short pause before-

-chaos.

I've never seen so many bug-eyed men and women in the same space.

"Is this a side-effect of the bond?" interrupted an alarmed Cho Chang in a high voice.

There was a minute of silence in which I observed a range of looks around the table.

The brown eyes of George and Fred Weasley nudged Lee Jordon as their eyes danced mischievously, and I could see that it was quite possible that this piece of information would contribute to something in the future. Granger was leaning back in her chair, with her tanned arms crossed and her brown eyes pinned to mine. As soon as I could tear my eyes away from hers, I saw that Potter and Weaselette were sitting and holding hands and looking both extremely surprised and mildly amused. Cho Chang, who'd posed the question first, still looked like a black thundercloud…

_Now, just more like an **alarmed** black thundercloud… _

As intriguing as all those other faces were, the most striking ones were those of Neville Longbottom, Ronald Weasley, Padma Patil and Luna Lovegood.

Weasley's pale freckled face looked as if it had lost all color, a sickly shade of white that matched his horrified widened eyes. I couldn't imagine him having some sordid secret that he'd rather not have his betrothed know about so I attributed the look to some inner thought that dealt with how disgusting the reality of the arranged marriage business was. But he was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't seem to see the truly appalled look on his girl's face. Padma Patil sat with naked dismay upon her dark face. That in itself wasn't all that noteworthy – what bothered me was that the shock was tempered by something else altogether different.

_Fear._

Her liquid black eyes caught mine for a second, and it seemed that that brief eye contact put her to rights externally. She had a secret, I was sure of it. I don't why that thought flashed through my head but it did. And once it was there, it took root until it could flourish and develop into a full blown suspicion that I would later realize wasn't mistaken or completely unfounded. But then, I was content to watch the look pass over her face like something blown by a quick breeze.

Longbottom on the other hand sat with no emotion on his face. The gargoyles that guarded Dumbledore's office in the old days of Hogwarts had more life in their faces and movements than Longbottom in that moment. The strong jaw stayed locked in place, his brown eyes betrayed no feeling and his face seemed to be in calm repose. Yet, the stiffness of his body seemed to portray internal tension to me. And the source of that tension was manifested in his betrothed, Cho Chang the storm cloud.

On a completely different track, Lovegood had a worried look on her face yet she was the only one in the room who seemed to be totally unguarded, for her eyes were gazing at Dean Thomas with such naked pain that I nearly flinched. If Granger was being anywhere as observant as I was, she would see her best friend's pain and try to help.

I _knew_ there was a reason I hadn't been friends with Gryffindors during school. All this emotion was making the silence uncomfortable.

At least, George Weasley very loudly and very obviously cleared his throat.

"It doesn't do well worrying about something that is beyond one's control," he said with a gentle smile aimed around the table. It seemed to do the trick because the lot of us slowly relaxed. "Another round?"

"A drink?" said Alicia Spinnet.

I excused myself to go the bathroom and everyone said they would wait. I started for the bathroom, striding in causal and easy steps on the outskirts of the dance floor. I ignored the fact that Granger had gotten up a beat later and was somewhere behind me. I did a great job ignoring her for about ten seconds before I broke and turned.

"Are you following me?" I asked coldly.

Her eyes widened for a moment.

"Of course not. Why on earth would I be doing something like that?" She asked, lifting her chin defiantly.

My eyes narrowed to examine the pretty girl before me, and in an effort to make her uncomfortable, I made it painfully obvious exactly what I was doing when my eyes raked over her form. She blushed and I smirked as I jammed my hands into my pockets.

"You tell me."

She was silent.

"Well then, I'll just handle my business in the bathroom," I said drawled, "with your permission, of course?"

I turned and made it a few steps before I heard her voice again.

"But if I were, I would want to apologize."

That stopped me cold. With half an arm and a whole leg through the bathroom door, my head slowly rotated on my shoulders and because I had braced myself for a mean glance I was quite taken aback to see an apologetic look upon her face. In fact, I was so surprised that I unconsciously stepped out of the blue-tiled bathroom.

"Is that what this is about?" She nodded. "So, go ahead then."

"Go ahead and do what?" she asked.

"Apologize."

I folded my hands over my chest to wait.

"Look." Hermione Granger's brown eyes held me down as she spoke. "I'm sorry for making you worry this morning. I really am – I had no idea that you would become so worried. But I'm not sorry for leaving. You can't force me into moving into the Manor when I _don't_ want to live there."

I stood impassively.

_No reaction,_ I coached myself_. None._

She stopped and looked at me, expecting something. I had nothing. I let my face give nothing away. Unfortunately for me, she stepped in closer to me so her body was a mere foot away from mine. And God knew I couldn't get close enough to her to make me happy.

"You have to understand that moving into someone else's house is a big step. I'm independent now – I want to be on my own." Her head had tipped back to maintain eye contact, yet my own eyes drifted from her eyes to her lips and back again. _Ah, those shell pink lips_. I fought to pay attention to what she was saying.

"It's not like I can't protect myself. I **_did_** fight in the War and I'm not the Light Side's most brilliant witch for nothing, you know." Her eyes narrowed, seemingly at the very suspicion that I doubted her credibility. I kept my face impassive but my bloody eyes kept drifting. Without thinking and very subtly I began moving. "That was a glitch – what happened with that man, and my friends and you were there to help me. I am a big girl and big girls don't like being toyed around with."

"That was a bloody huge glitch, Granger."

Memories of that terrifying moment swam to the surface of my mind, tossed me back into how angry I'd been – how scared I'd felt – and I fought to control myself.

"I nearly died when I saw you sprawled out on the floor…" I blinked, "and the blood…I thought that I had been too late. And then when **that **thought surfaced, I went crazy."

I clenched my fists but Hermione Granger smiled at me.

"What?" I asked.

She lifted her hands and reached up to stroke my face and I instantly stilled.

"But things like that don't happen often," she said gently. "And I _can_ take care of myself."

Her caressing melted all the bad feelings away – embarrassing . _I am some kind of **sop **if all it takes is a gentle touch to dissipate my anger._ I must admit that I really didn't care about being a sop if it meant that Granger would touch me all day.

"And don't you think you should apologize? If **_I_** had moved you out like that, you wouldn't give me the time of day for a _long_ time. You would be putting on your usual snobbish airs," she sniffed. Her hands folded across her chest and those lovely brown eyes narrowed even further.

_Does she still not understand?_

I paused in my subtle 'back-Hermione-Granger-up-against-a-wall' plan to stare at her in surprise. Maybe I just had to say it simply.

"I can't apologize for wanting to protect you, Granger."

She looked at me silently for a moment.

"But you can apologize for the way you went about it."

I stared.

"I don't do apologies."

"Correction," she said with a smile. "You didn't do them but that was before you met me."

I sighed.

Then stared down at her very haughtily.

Then sighed again.

"I will not apologize for wanting to protect you," I said quietly, "but I'm sorry that you didn't agree-"

"Draco."

I resisted rolling my eyes only by the strongest self-reserve.

"What I mean to say is that it was wrong of me to take action without first consulting you." Granger's brown eyes searched mine for a moment before she seemed to believe me. "Truly. We might be the sort of people who fight simply to fight but it was deucedly uncomfortable being so silent."

I pulled her in, wrapped both arms around her. She arched her eyebrows.

"Would it be possible for me to get some sort of reward?"

"For what?"

"A reward for apologizing, I mean."

"What sort of reward, exactly?"

My mind was swimming in the gutter as I nuzzled her cheek and drew her in.

"Something…" I let my voice wander off since she was so warm, and so close, and her breaths were coming in a little quickly.

I pulled back to see that the pretty blue dress and the golden brown of her skin made her glow against that wall. She was still in my arms, and I let a hand drop to her waist. I smirked before my lips brushed along her jaw line, landing in tiny butterfly kisses that _just_ touched her skin before fluttering to another section of flesh.

"You know," I distracted myself with licking the shell of her right ear. "I'm quite sure you can figure it out."

She let me kiss her jaw and skim her shoulders and back with my hands, and I felt like I'd caught a Snitch. For a minute there, I wondered if she'd let me take full advantage and actually touch bare skin in public but just then, four men turned the corner to go into the bathroom and Granger jumped before shoving me away.

I cursed inwardly and outwardly as she turned without glancing back and marched away. My hands raked my silver blonde hair, and I turned to kick the wall. When would I ever get to kiss her?

"Damn."

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

_Let's count off all the stuff that's going on in my life presently._ I thought as I returned to the table where everyone was waiting for Draco. When he returned, I turned away. Yet the heat of his gaze would have singed the hair off of a naked mole rat – by God, I felt as if my bright summer blue dress was transparent and that was simply from indirect acknowledgement of that gaze.

I sighed and followed everyone else to the bar that stood on the a little way from the disco-lighted dance floor. The vibrant reds and blues played in spots across the black of the dance floor and the moving bodies that ground to the music. I skirted to the left of one particularly exuberant couple, and shook my head as I counted off the bad things in my head.

Well, I got attacked by a crazy madman the day before yesterday and my betrothed moved my stuff out of my apartment and apparently sold it. The same betrothed is not talking to me because I won't kiss him and I certainly don't want to move in with him. I don't have place to live. I'm not having fun at this party. And I just found out that it's very likely that Draco might have overheard my thoughts._ Which one,_ I thought as I fell further and further behind, _I have no idea. And that kiss would have been another knockout…**Damn it.**_

"Hermione?" I looked up to see Katie Bell standing in front of me. The smiling pretty blonde stood in jeans and white button up shirts and her blonde hair changed color in the Muggle disco ball. "You alright?"

"Uh- yes, yes." I nodded to her question. "Yes, yes, I'm fine."

"I'm sorry if I interrupted your thinking," she moved to my side and we started to work slowly again. "I just slipped back because George was being an idiot-"

I think it hit us at the same time that we weren't right behind the group anymore. And it wasn't even that I had wandered off unto the dance floor that created an extremely anxious feeling in me. I could see Dean's long torso very far ahead of us. The fact that he was disappearing from the scene worried me a lot, actually. I think it also hit us at the same time that we were surrounded by a sea of blank male faces…with disturbingly intent eyes.

With a wary glance around us, I reached out to touch Katie's arm.

"Are they looking at you or me?"

"You," she said softly. "You don't think-"

Yes. I did think. If my hunches were correct, I was the cause of a major pheromone mix-up. Female voices were raised around the ring of men.

"Come back here, you idiot!"

"What's going on?"

"John!"

I tried to recall everything I knew about working your way out of a pheromone mix-up. I had to get Draco here. He had to kiss me in front of these men. And I had to avoid being trampled.

_Although, _I thought wryly, _if I get trampled the pain would magic him here faster than I could shout._

I couldn't feel anything more than alarmed and 'alarmned' didn't seem to be dragging my betrothed to my side.

"You're gorgeous," said one boy in dark blue.

"She's more than gorgeous, idiot." A man on the left who reminded me of a shark glared at the first boy before looking at me in an extremely soft way. His voice dropped down a couple of octaves. "She's absolutely stunning."

I blinked.

"You certainly are the most luscious creature in this place," said a third, who stepped out of the masses he stepped to walk towards us. "And you should be coming home with me."

The murmuring started then, a low and collected masculine groan that shook me to the core. Out of fear, I automatically whipped out my wand and stepped in front of Katie. My eyes shifted to the left and the right as the boy continued to stroll towards me.

"Stay back!" I shouted. His blank face was slowly turning into a focused lustful mask.

Just then, Luna and Ginny appeared out in front of the dark seething mass of male human bodies. They had shoved through to the front, stumbling next to me.

"Ginny, pull out your wand!" yelled Luna as she whipped around to face the men. She held her wand like a weapon, cocked and at the ready. Ginny wasted no time when she heard the masculine murmuring

"Padma!" she yelled, turning her head to and fro to look for them. "Padma! Alicia! Katie! Angelina!" A commotion in the crowd, full of flying arms and legs, was moving towards us and when it pushed to the front, it was some of the girls looking much the worse for wear after pushing forward through a male crowd.

"What the hell is going on?" yelled Alicia Spinnet after she stumbled towards us. I reached forward to steady her and Ginny brought all the girls around closer. "Why are they frozen?"

"Where's Cho?" asked Padma.

The crowd surged forward and the chatter became louder, club music still blaring in the background. This was the perfect setup for chaos.

"Listen to me," I shouted over the noise, "it's a pheromone mix-up!"

Eyes widened all around before-

"What in the name of-?"

The black blur that was Cho Chang yelled as she kicked her way out of the crowd. And when I said kicked, I literally mean 'kicked'. She disabled two men before our disbelieving eyes with nothing but arms and legs. She even took a moment to straighten her clothes before she coolly came over to us.

"Cho?" asked Katie. "You alright?"

Cho Chang nodded.

"Who's causing this?" she asked.

I raised my hands.

"Well, the only thing to do is to surround her and hope Malfoy gets here before they swarm us."

As if that was easier done than said.

"Too many leering faces," Alicia muttered as her fingers itched towards the wand she'd tucked into jeans pocket. "But at least none of them are Muggle."

"Try not to-" I started.

"-hurt anyone, we know," Gin finished. "But if they attack-"

"We'll do the same." Luna swept her hair over her shoulders, instructed the rest of the girls to form a loose half circle around me while she went off to look for Draco. "Can't understand why he's so scarce when you need him."

A man lunged forward suddenly, hands outstretched and reaching for my wrists. Ginny elbowed him so hard in the face that I thought I heard a crack. The rest of the crowd surged like a wave and chaos broke out.

"Bloody hell!" cursed Alicia loudly as the crowd closed in. There was no choice but to rely on magic. "Take as many of them down as you girls can!"

Seven telltale red stunning beams hit seven unfortunate men one after the other. Once they were stunned, those same beams were retracted only to hit seven more men.

And then seven more went down.

Yet, there were always more men to replace them and we all got pressed together. Before I knew it, the circle had broken and I was caught up in a whirlwind of movement. I shot off as many spells as possible, keeping my cool and trying to avoid hurting any of the girls. My wand weaved in a complicated pattern as I fired as many spells with one hand and slapped with the other. I soon began to look for a path out of the frenzy, forging ahead pretty far before being grabbed.

"You're dazzling!" one yelled in my face as his large hands closed like a vice around my upper arms. I kicked him in the shins and successfully brought him to his knees before trying to run again. I got as far as two feet before I felt a different set of arms close around my waist.

"Marry me, won't you?"

My wand landed in his eye for his trouble.

Another two feet on the dim dance floor full of frantic elbowing and kicking before another man grabbed me from behind.

"I want you." I stiffened before trying to jab him in the crotch with my wand. I didn't look behind me as I jabbed, trying to gain time by a quick attack. It didn't work because this man pinned my arms down to my sides quickly. I found myself unable to perform wandless magic without a target. _Damn it!_ I cursed inwardly as I struggled to get free. And this one didn't seem to be letting go.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

_What the hell?_

For the second time in 72 hours, I was transported into another location without too much of a warning and absolutely no regard paid to what I was doing at the time. I thank Merlin that I had exited the bathroom mere seconds before I found myself in the middle of a frenzied fest of human movement next to my betrothed, Hermione Granger.

_What has she gotten into this time?_

In a fraction of a moment, I assessed the situation and absorbed three things. There was a man attached to my woman by the simple and effective means arms wrapped around her middle. Secondly, she was fighting to get free. Thirdly, I was surrounded by males on all sides.

_Pheromones?_

"Don't just stand there!" she yelled as she tried her damndest to knee that jerk in the ball.

I tell you, quicker than I thought it could have moved, my fist was buried in his face and my arms were around her middle. All the other males stared at me, a new competitor who had managed to get his hands on the coveted prize. The crowd surged forward to try and rip her out of my hands. _Hell **no.**_ Wandless magic took four of them down, turning all men into barnacled fools who could only watch helplessly as their feet tapped out fast beats.

"I believe you owe me that reward now," I said with a smirk.

One arm tightened around the small waist and the other swept her feet from out under her. I noticed that her thick hair was heavy against my arm; beads of sweat had formed at her temple. I noticed how one loose strand had curled around her face; blocking my view of the smooth skin of her tanned cheeks and the honey brown eyes that I temporarily found myself obsessed with. She looked at me, angry and irritated. Obviously, I was taking a lot longer than I needed to.

"Oh shut up and get it over with!"

_Not quite the invitation I would like but…_I needed nothing else.

The moment our lips met, I was sucked in again. _Why am I so helpless when it comes to this girl?_ I swear that if the crowd had tried to break that up I would have been forced to kill someone. The kiss started out as a gentle meeting of closed lips, a kiss that just sought to break the spell. It seemed that the kiss yet again proved to be a bond in which I could clearly see her feelings, her irritation at being caught up in a pheromone mix-up and her self-righteousness about her decision to apologize. I smiled against her lips as I angled my head. With the movement came more of her feelings – increasing focus on the hands that held her face and the tongue that slowly licked her lips. I could taste those exquisite lips, the cherry lip gloss that she had put on this morning. But before I knew it, my hands had tangled in Granger's hair to hold her in place as I kissed her more roughly. It turned harsher, more brutal as the walls between our minds toppled completely. Someone groaned – I'm really not sure which of us it was but it didn't do anything to bring me to my senses.

_Merlin, help me._

I broke the kiss unsteadily and grudgingly, and released her.

Her eyes were closed and her hands were clenched at the side of her pretty blue dress but when I released her, her eyes flew open. We stared at each other for a moment, waiting for the other to do something _anything_ to fully break the spell. I smirked, turning my lips up at one corner and arching an eyebrow.

"We'll continue this later."

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

"This happened to a friend of mine at work," said Cho Chang about ten minutes after the fiasco had been cleared and the club returned to order. "And you wouldn't believe how aggressive men can get until you've seen a bunch of them go at it over a girl they believe belongs to them."

She flipped her hair over her shoulders and pulled up the straps of her black leather purse. We were clustered in a tight group next to the bar where the boys were rubbing their heads. I stood surrounded by my friends with Draco standing much too close to my side for comfort. Two waitresses had approached the group with stern faces, asking us to remain there for a few minutes to clear the effects.

The boys had fallen under my spell as well, apparently, but all of them had been too far away to do anything.

_Thank God,_ I breathed a sigh of relief internally. _That would have been mortally embarrassing for them though I would have understood._

"Bloody hell," Ron was saying as the heels of his pale freckled hands massaged his temples. "Feels like a hangover."

"You end up feeling kind of woozy," said Neville as he did the same.

I winced again, apologized again, and patted the both of them on the arms.

"It's not like you could help it," said Dean ruefully. "But now I _really_ want that drink."

"And maybe for you and Malfoy here to make yourselves scarce," muttered Fred. "A good snog before hand could have stopped this before it started!"

I went pink. Draco appeared to bristle but said nothing.

"Please do be quiet Fred," sniffed Angelina. "Everyone grab a seat, I'll get a round of butterbeers for all of us, please."

The bartender, a man who looked to be about in his mid-thirties, didn't appear to be suffering the same effects as every other unmarried male in the establishment. But he did do a great job of taking extra food orders and magicked a set out fourteen clear tall glasses.

I turned back to the bar to watch the bartender finish getting everything done. Almost all of the tall glasses were filled with butter beer bar two. Empty glasses with bright blue labels labeled "BUTTER BEER" in white font stood on the table for seconds only to be whisked away. The full glasses were sent to people around the bar – everyone got them with Katie and George being the exceptions.

_Odd, _I thought as I watched him open a last bottle of beer and divvied it up between the last two glasses. What was even odder was that this bottle was a little different from the others. The words were still in white yet the label was bright red. Almost as red as the hearts from my dad's old medical books. Before this bottle disappeared too, I noticed a small insignia at the bottom: an image of a beating but broken heart.

_Doubly strange._

What a strange thing to put on a label. By the time I had finished examining the bottle, the drinks were already in the hands of Katie and George. The two of them were looking at each other with the rims at their lips.

"Wait-" I shouted and reached out toward them, five seats down from me.

Many people turned to stare at me. But for the two for whom it meant the most, it was already too late. The couple had drunk from the cup, steadily gazing into the other's eyes. And it was only a few moments later until a cry broke from Katie's lips.

"What the hell am I doing here with _you_?"

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

"What the hell am I doing here with _you_?"

My eyes snapped from Hermione to an angry Katie Bell, and for a moment I wondered to whom she had directed that comment. One small index finger was pointed in the direction of her betrothed, George. Her lip was curled in apparent repugnance, her voice dripped disgust and she stood up and backed up a step. She stood and crossed her hands over her white shirt and looked around for an answer that no one had. The reaction to Katie Bell's statement was mass confusion.

"Kate, what are you talking about?" asked Fred Weasley.

I'm sure that the same thing happened in everyone else's head. I continued to look at Granger who was walking over to stand behind George, who was closer to us. I came to stand behind her.

"What's up?" I whispered into her ear as everyone looked at George in amazement.

"The bartender gave them something," she whispered back. A mild levitation spell had a bottle floating in the air above George's head and next to us while Miss Bell took on an even more aggressive pose.

"Yeah, what _are _you talking about?" snarled his angry twin. "Because the real question is what would _I _be doing with an ugly harpy like you?"

Everyone looked around at each other in shock, with their glasses in various stages of finishing. Some were looking at the couple, and the rest were looking at Granger. I was looking at Granger questioningly, knowing that she knew something that we didn't.

"George, what the hell?" asked Fred, nudging his twin.

George's anger was becoming increasingly palpable with the passing time. He was staring at Katie with his own lips curled in a snarl that so resembled my usual sneers that I was shocked. I didn't know the twins very well but from the general reaction, George Weasley didn't usually say cruel things.

"Who tricked me into coming out with her?"

Bell scoffed in response and stepped in closer to growl in his face.

"Please, I'm the real catch." She tossed her straight blonde hair. "Someone obviously drugged me into coming out with _you_."

"I admit that I am one of the most eligible bachelors in the area and I am good-looking but really, isn't that reaching far above your class? And what would make you think that you're good enough for me?"

"George Weasley," Bell drawled with one of the most sugared smiles that I have ever seen. Her face dropped even further, so that she was standing yet on eye-level with George Weasley. It looked as if they would be kissing each other any minute, yet the hatred mirrored on both faces dissipated that notion. Her smile became curved, as sharp as a cutting knife and I readied myself for a wild insult.

"Don't be mistaken. I don't do time-wasting trouble-making school dropouts."

George's jaw hit the floor, along with his twin and quite a few of the group. Because Malfoys should never lie (if it's not for self-gain), I'm going to be truthful and say that I was one of the 'few'. Lovegood and Patil gasped in sync and Alicia Spinnet's eyes were the size of two large brown saucers. I myself wanted to know just what the hell was happening.

"Hold the _fuck_ u-!" George retaliated, rising on his feet.

"And on that note," said Granger firmly as she stepped between the two of them. "You two will be taking a little break from each other! Girls, come with me and bring Katie."

I didn't truly think that George Weasley, the more easy-going of the twins, would lift his hand against a female but I didn't want to find out.

Because I was the closest, I was also the first to assist in physically removing him from the bar. The girls watched with horrified gazes as his freckled face was twisted into something ugly when the men were pulling him away from the table. Katie Bell, the obvious of his baleful stare, was shot him a pointed look with an arched eyebrow before pointedly looking down to examine her fingernails. _What is going on?_ I was witnessing the splintering of the world, two generally amiable people turning into cruelty personified before my eyes. We continued to drag George until we were in the bathroom. He stood in the middle, running a freckled hand through his red hair, and steaming.

"What's your problem, man?" yelled Lee Jordon.

"But did you hear her?" George was all motion now, gesturing wildly in the direction where the rest of the group was supposed to be. "She thinks she's better than me! Just because we chose to go after something we love, she has no _right_!And what the hell am I doing with her? Did you guys drug me or something?"

"I don't think 'ugly harpy' was the easiest insult to bear."

Neville's back was against the tiled walls and his hands were folded across his chest. He was looking at George as if he was seeing George in a different light.

"George," asked his twin quietly. "What day is it?"

Everyone glanced at him.

"Monday."

"No, give me the actual date."

"Today's Monday, June 29th."

So he was aware of the date and time.

"Do you know why we're out tonight, or…rather, why you're hear with Kate in particular?"

"Of course," he snapped. "And I'll curse the Ministry everyday for insulting me by sending that girl."

No one moved for a moment before Fred Weasley began walking in a complete circuit around his brother. His gaze turned calculating.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"Besides that witch?" His brow wrinkled before he turned to me. "Well, last time I checked we'd just become friends with Malfoy. Are you and Hermione still quarrelling?"

Potter finally spoke up.

"But you don't remember getting here?"

"No, no I don't remember." George Weasley nodded his head slowly, his eyes narrowing. "Come on, what's with all the questions? What happened to me?"

"How did you feel about Katie Bell yesterday?"

"Yesterday, I think." I watched him make moue of distaste. "Who could forget such a horrifying face? She-"

"George," interrupted his twin. "Something's happened to you."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean someone's tampered with your head," said Fred Weasley with a frown. "You were well on your way to falling in love with Katie before this fiasco."

"**_I_** was?" he scoffed. "It was probably because I was blind to her hag-like qualities before tonight."

We all shared another look before Fred spoke up.

"Regardless, stay here while I go have a chat with 'Mione."

"There is no issue," muttered George as his brother left the bathroom. "The truth is I really _do_ hate her."

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

_This is a complete fiasco._ The boys had left, taking an incensed George with them. Now the females were left to piece together a solution through the mess. I hadn't been able to stop them from guzzling down the stuff in time so I was partly to blame for the nonsense that had ensued. Katie Bell was looking exceptionally pleased with her insult (and I must admit that it was quite a good insult – left all jaws unhinged) but everyone else was looking at her as if she'd lost her mind.

"Katie!" shouted Alicia Spinnet as she shook her friend.

"What?" The blonde was on the defensive.

"You _like_ George, remember?" Katie snorted derisively.

"Maybe before I really opened my eyes tonight, sure." She shrugged her shoulders carelessly. "He's unattractive, he's dumb, he's a dropout, his crowning achievement is a shop full of _toys_ and he's fairly married to _that_ enterprise."

"That's cruel Katie, and it's unlike you to be cruel." Angelina Johnson dropped down next to her friend and angled her chin upwards. "Nor is it possible that you went from a schoolyard crush to outright enemies in the space of what? Two minutes? Five? What is going _on _here?"

"The drink. Something in their butterbeer," I said absently, "but what on earth could have possessed the bartender to spike their drink?"

"Their drinks?" asked Gin in shock. "What do you mean?"

"I would love to ask the bartender except," and I indicated the empty space behind the bar, "he's apparently made his exit."

"You mean to tell me," Padma said slowly, "that this was done on _purpose_?"

"But…b-but _why_?" asked Cho. "Why George and Katie…and why now? A prank?"

That was the question, and that's what we were all going to have to find out.


	21. Lightheaded

Author's Note - Updated March 3rd 2012.

Here are some clarifications on what happened in the last chapter, my dears. The bond (insofar as I've hashed out the specifics, anyway) is a mental link that is supposed to bring about harmony. Think of it as an almost sentient rope that ties you together but gives you slack (more room) or tightens itself (less room) as it tries hard to force its two people _into _harmony. A pheromone mix-up is really a tightening of the rope that forces you to physically…acknowledge each other. It works differently for every individual and every couple – for this story, the two of them sense the bond as a 'place' in their heads that 'is not them'.

This is also why not every couple will ever experience a pheromone mix-up. Mostly, I imagined it to be something that happened between couples who are attracted to each other but not entirely aligned yet. Or couples with volatile personalities and relationships that still don't think of the other person as their beloved. It never happens for couples like Dean and Luna because attraction was never the question they began with. Friendship colored their _entire_ relationship differently than non-friend couples like Draco and Hermione, or Neville and Cho. Even though the Duna story is _more_ dramatic than Dramione, it's a different (deeper) drama.

I do apologize for the mix up.

Enjoy!

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**Twenty-First Cycle**

**Lightheaded**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

In between reporting George and Katie's very strange poisoning to the restaurant owners and keeping the two former lovebirds from killing each other, I hadn't had time to do much more than surprise Draco with a peck on the cheek before running out of Enchanted Eats with the Weasleys. The next day was spent in utter confusion (I was spending my time at the Burrow since Luna was too busy to put me up) as Mr. Weasley dragged a very worried but aggressive George to St. Mungo's while I did basic research.

First and foremost was to find out what had been in that bottle_._

Forget the fact that the place had a lawsuit on their hands if they didn't produce the offender, I hadn't been able to do much more than secure the offending bottle with the distinctive label. It took Fred and Ron combined (in a magnificent display of Weasley temper that blistered ears and had two waitresses burst into tears) to get the staff to give me the bottle.

Mr. Weasley had taken it with him to St. Mungo's after I'd swabbed a bit of the remnants and stored it properly at the Burrow.

The second thing I had to do was find an apartment.

I nearly rolled my eyes after this particular thought but instead opted to move closer to Ginny who was sprawled out underneath the blankets on the bed. I didn't want another argument with Draco – even though we were both right and wrong – but I wasn't moving into the Manor and that was final. I was just happy that he'd finally seen it my way. He was a challenge that I wanted to take up and an enigma that I wanted to puzzle out. He was sometimes as merry as a child yet I was waiting to see a darker side of him that I was almost sure existed. I barely remembered him arriving but the shattered body of my attacker was proof Malfoy wasn't all rainbows and sunshine.

The final thing was to keep studying. All my poor textbooks were sitting in boxes in the Manor. I had less than a week to complete my preliminary Healer exams and I'd managed to remove one this morning when Mr. Weasley had left the house but Lady Malfoy hadn't been home and Draco had been visiting Zabini and Nott at their office. They were this Saturday afternoon. Dean was studying to be a Healer as well, and although I was sure that he would lend me books if I needed them I wanted to find an apartment before noon and move all of my belongings into it before 6. I hoped that if I kept to some sort of time table, I would be able to sort things out. And I would keep to the timetable on the condition that nothing else happened to weigh even me down even more.

I'd be damned if being in the hospital would hold me back an entire year.

Everything was crashing down upon me with unrelenting force. I wouldn't be able to deal with too much more and I was hoping that the world wasn't thinking of slinging anything more at me.

_Time to get up._

**oo**

A shower, some lotion, a cup of coffee and some toast later I was ready to accomplish the first thing on my to-do list. But I had to do something before that – call my parents.

"Mum?" I asked when the ringing on the line stopped.

"Hermione!" The woman on the other end of the phone was one of my strongest lifelines and if there was a problem to be solved, she helped me think critically about it from every angle. My spirits lifted automatically at hearing her voice. "You-"

"How's Dad?" I interrupted, trying to head off the anger I would be hearing any minute.

"Dad is fine," I could almost hear the frown on the other end of the line. "Right now, he's sleeping and he'll most likely be up any second. But more importantly, how are you?"

"I'm fine," I said brightly.

"Fine? _Fine? _I don't understand why these things keep happening to you!" Finally, her anxiety pierced through the calm shell. "You're finally out of the War and then things keep _happening_!

She sounded an awful bit like Draco.

"It's simply a series of unfortunate events, Mum." I said it in the most soothing voice that I could muster. "Really, the odds are so _small_, you know, that he would just _happen _to be at the same park that we-"

"And yet – even with those _small _odds," she mimicked, "he was."

Silence ruled.

"I'm sorry," I said meekly.

"Don't you dare apologize for something you didn't do, sweetheart," she sighed. "Of course I'm not angry with you. I'm only angry with the situation. Will he be tried and imprisoned? Harry said he wasn't mentally stable… what do they do with people like that? I only thank God that the kids showed up when they did."

Mum's voice dropped down into an angry mutter for a few minutes, and I let her run on for a wee bit.

"And your fiancée, that Draco Malfoy, actually contacted us after we left the hospital. Harry also told us that he'd broken twenty-three bones and shattered the man's face so I was quite satisfied."

I gasped.

"Mum!"

"What?" I could just picture my mum shrugging off my exclamation in her house. "Draco Malfoy gets my band of approval."

"Honestly?" I asked in disbelief. "Because after that incident, he _sold_ my apartment and moved all of my belongings into his mansion without consulting me!"

"Did he?" my mum asked with a laugh in her voice. "I don't suppose you let that go over too quietly?"

"It's extremely irritating to have your home sold out from underneath you. You have no idea how angry I was!"

I huffed.

She laughed.

"I know how far away we are but you know-"

"-I know. I can't move back but I will drop by today."

"And I must point out that the young Malfoy was only at fault because he was trying to protect you."

"I know, I know that." I would be a fool if I didn't realize what was driving Draco to do things like that, especially as he had shown me a fraction of what he had felt upon discovering that I was gone. "And I'm certainly not angry anymore. But I am determined to live on my own until we…we-uh…we get married."

I choked all over the 'm' word.

"I can understand that too." I heard my mum sigh. "Remain independent, darling. I just want you to take care of yourself. Wait a minute, I hear the creak of the steps…" Her voice moved away from the phone. "Hermione's on the phone!" she yelled and I heard shuffling before the crackling of the second phone being lifted.

"Darling?"

"Daddy!"

"Bookie, how are you?" A special nickname relating to the sheer strength of my desire to read at the age of three announced the arrival of my dad on the phone. "Are you hurt anywhere? Did they heal everything properly?"

I laughed.

"I'm fine, no and yes."

"Now that I have gotten those answers I can keep your mum sane. Otherwise, she'd be worrying all the time."

"I think I've just soothed some of her fears."

"What's going to happen with the exams? Are you coming home?"

"Don't worry," I said reassuringly, "I threw my weight around a little bit to get myself a new preliminary test date in a week. And, today I plan on finding an apartment and getting everything moved out. I'll come out in about an hour."

"Hmph." Daddy grunted. "We'll be waiting. And bring the boy later this week for dinner since your mother approves, you hear?"

_Bring Draco? _I thought

"You want me to bring-"

"Your mum says so. We'll be waiting."

"But- but-"

"Bye, sweetheart."

And there went that call.

"'Mione?" Ginny's sleepy voice came from somewhere in the vicinity of the bed. "Leaving?"

I crossed the room to sit on the edge of the bed. I still couldn't see her, even with my close proximity.

"See Mum and Dad."

She made a snuffling sound then yawned.

"There's a sheet I want you to give Malfoy."

Her hand shot out, waved around in the air, then retreated. I tried not to laugh as I asked here where the sheet was.

"Floor somewhere," she muttered before yawning again. When the breathing under the sheets became even again, I knew I'd lost her.

"Floor somewhere it is," I muttered as I set about to find this thing.

Wading through piles of clothes and a few towels, I finally found an obnoxiously bright orange piece of parchment with Malfoy's name stamped across the top. There were Quidditch players all over but as soon as I touched it, the players in vibrant yellow, silver and green came to life. They zoomed over and under each other and the balls with generous sound effects. In blaring black font that begun to read itself out loud, it announced a Quidditch tryout for a couple of teams. Draco had mentioned Quidditch being his favorite past time and I smiled before hurriedly folding the piece of paper and cutting off the audio.

Although Ginny never woke up before 11, I wasn't the only one up.

Ron was shuffling around the kitchen when I got down there. We had breakfast together, which was really _really _nice since I'd felt as if I had barely seen Ron in the last three weeks. When we moved to the cozy red-themed living room, where Ron sat next to me on some cushions on the floor, I lifted the glassware I'd stored the remnants of the tampered alcohol in and kept it floating in front of us.

"I'm the guinea pig?"

I shook my head.

"Lab assistant. First thing we need to do is transfer the drop in the Wizlock bag you brought."

"Nifty things, ain't they?" He grinned. "Stroke of luck Mum had one leftover from something Dad did ages ago."

They _really _were and I'd kissed Ron when he'd seemed to run into the Burrow last night (making all _sorts _of noise) and produced one after an hour. The Wizlock bag was something of chemical break-down kit. Drop something complex in and it would spit out replicas of _all _the basic ingredients within minutes. A complete ingredients list was all I needed to start my research into George and Katie's new state of affairs.

"You lift, I'll hold it."

He closed his eyes and focused with his wand, solidifying everything into a single drop and lifting it from the glassware.

"Good," I said in an approving voice as a single small drop disappeared into the Wizlock.

He opened his eyes and we watched as it seemed to slowly swell outwards in the air before us, then turn a deep dark blue color.

"That doesn't look good," he commented mildly.

It sure didn't.

It also looked like the once-clear container was filling with hazy blue smoke, while flashes of purple and green went off from what sounded a long way away. From what I'd read, any range of sounds could be made by the Wizlock bag as it would take a little over ten minutes to do a full breakdown and workup of ingredients.

I was determined to drill Ron while we waited so I dragged him closer to the couch and stared him down.

"While we're waiting how about you fill me in on life with Padma?"

Ron seemed to stare down his lap for an eternity before he looked at me with clear blue eyes.

"I dunno, honestly."

"Honestly?" I asked curiously. "Because it really does look like it's going swell."

"It is," he said with a smile. "And it's a bit scary, you know, because I can't figure out why I like to be around her for so much of the day. She's too clever for her own good and she's got a smart mouth but I can handle her."

I snorted and Ron elbowed me in the side.

"You know what I mean." He rolled his eyes. "She's just too…important now. That's why it's scary. Sometimes, I look at things and I think "Padma wouldn't like that" or "Padma would think that was nice" or "Padma would use that for her next fashion layout". Two weeks ago, I didn't have _any _of this extra stuff going on in my head."

He was still that clueless redhead that I used to get angry with all the time in Fifth and Sixth Year – sort of. Ron had come a long way from possession the emotional capacity of a teaspoon and I was too proud to interrupt his confession.

"She's great. She really is. It's just her family that I need to win over." He grimaced and I hid a grin – Ginny'd told me all about the fact that they _still _wanted to set up a marriage with anyone besides Ron. "They had already set up a meeting with a fitting suitor when the Ministry & arranged marriage came into the picture. They didn't like me when they first met me, and to be honest, I think they _still_ don't."

He shrugged his shoulders after a particularly violent rumbling from the crackling Wizlock bag.

"Well, maybe. The whole lot of them are fierce."

"Fierce, you say?"

"But I'll grow on them, you'll see. The other day her mother slipped up and accidentally called me son in Punjabi."

I was confused as I puzzled out what he was saying.

"Ah, Punjabi's her language…I'm honestly happy for you," I said and grinned. "It's rare to see you so emotionally engaged."

He grimaced and I teased.

"It's in the air. Everywhere you look, there's romance and displays of affection. Don't worry, I talked to her last night and it seems mutual."

"I hope so," he murmured before sighing. "We get on well but…sometimes I get this feeling…"

"What?"

His eyes went unfocused for a second, as if his train of thought required more than the usual focus.

"I feel like there's something she's hiding." My brow furrowed and I watched as Ron tipped his head back against the couch's cushions to look up at the ceiling. The hand holding mine was lax. "And I'm not sure what it is. I don't know I'm just naturally suspicious, or if it's something she's doing or _whatever_…but I feel like something's a little off."

I absorbed that for a minute.

"She probably _is_ hiding something then," I said thoughtfully as I leaned my back head so we were both staring up at the ceiling and holding hands.

"I knew it-"

""But it might be something that she's hiding from others too. I'm sure there's a reason for it, Ron."

"Of course there's a reason," he scoffed. "What worries me is whether it's a good or _bad_ reason."

The Wizlock bag suddenly deflated with a soft _shufft_. The kit had done its job and was now a transparent plastic bag again, bobbing gently in the air. We disengaged and sat up.

"Shall we check it out?" he asked. I nodded.

We looked down at the carpet directly below the bag and found a very curious array of materials indeed. Most of the items were identifiable. For instance, we immediately noticed a stewed rat claw, rotting cabbage and dry ice, some sort of worm, a smelly sock and what looked like black pixy wings. And that was stuff that was relatively…_normal_.

But between the sock and the wings was something else altogether – a tiny beating green heart.

"What _is _it?" Ron muttered as he leaned down to sniff the heart.

Honestly, he'd never absorbed anything in Potions.

It didn't react to his proximity at all. It just kept beating at a fast pace, or I assumed that was beating because it was making the most disturbing noises. At one point, the beat sounded like the growl of werewolf and at another it sounded like the snores of a baby. **_That's_**_odd._ It was the same bright green of budding plants in early spring with a waxy tint; a green that looked fairly poisonous on such a creepy object. The veins that crisscrossed the pulsing muscle were cream.

"I have never seen anything like it before," muttered Ron. "Have you?"

"Can't say that I have although it's small enough to be either a baby mammal or something else altogether…" I jumped to my feet and looked down at Ron. "Ron, can you take care of things here? I'm running off to Hogwarts to have a look at some books in the library. Then I'm going to enlist Draco's help for an apartment. I'll be back soon." I looked down at the black watch on my wrist.

"Give me two hours…say, by eleven?" He nodded.

"Aye aye Captain," Ron said with a grin. I was out the door in the speed of light.

**oo**

"Negligus…nehlips…neihimians…newtons?" I was poring through my textbooks, despite the fact that St. Mungoes would probably dissect the contents faster than I could. The faster I figured out what it was, the faster we could figure out motive. No investigation was going to be launched with manpower spread so thin in the Ministry. I hummed as I nibbled the edge of my quill. "That's not it."

I sent the book hurtling through the air to my desk.

"A heart that is still beating…"

_A heart that was still beating. _I never doubted that magic might continue to surprise me until the day that I died but who had ever heard of a still-thumping heart? I reached for another book, one about potions and scribbled feverishly as I continued to flip the pages. _But in a typical hate potion?_

It had to be something stronger than the usual. It hadn't worn off, had colored past memories unfavorably, _and _used unorthodox ingredients.

I pulled a different textbook out of the stack of many and flipped the old parchment to the back so that I could look at the index. A finger ran down the page over fading black ink in alphabetical order and stopped exactly where I wanted it to. _Hate potions_. "Alright," I murmured to myself. "Let's see what the following 24 potions have to say."

Carefully, I began to read. Above the first potion was a picture of a man and woman dressed in medieval clothing stood next to each other, although the man was turning away from the woman. That screamed mild dislike, not furious hate. The second and third were much the same, and neither of their ingredients said anything about any sort of heart, beating or otherwise. The fourth looked promising until I read that it wasn't very potent – the effects lasted a mere half an hour before disappearing. The fifth potion was useless and many after that. After flipping pages for fifteen minutes, I finally happened upon the answer - Quiddleby's Powerful Odium Potion.

The picture above it showed a woman, continuously morphing from beauty to beast. Her green-eyes would change into an inky black that expanded out of the eye and covered all white, and butt-length bright crimson colored hair shrunk to her shoulders and turned the color of dark red wine. A small box at the top left side of the page had the same bloody broken beating heart.

_Quiddleby's Powerful Odium Potion was created by one Malcolm Quiddleby circa 1543. He had married an intelligent and beautiful witch for love only weeks after meeting her, immediately falling for her physical charms. Upon marrying said witch, he discovered her darker side and a few undesirable qualities. She had a knack for correcting his mistakes, brushing her teeth at odd hours of the night, a habit of burning anything and everything that contained the color red, a need to use new towels every time she showered and a predilection for leaving the house in the wee hours of morning to meet other men. When asked why he would create such a potion, Quiddleby said that it was for those who wished to someone as they really are – with heavy emphasis placed on their bad traits. The potion was later categorized as a hate potion because the ridiculously heavy emphasis on bad traits led those who drank the potion to hate the other irreconcilably. The only problem that this potion poses is that the effects last for an undetermined amount of time and various factors affecting the time include the potency and the drinker's own feelings._

_Oddly enough, this potion is like wine. With age its potency grows. Hatred is a subjective feeling and Quiddleby's Odium Potion does not create hatred. It is merely an eye-opener, with an eye turned to all bad characteristics. Therefore, it isn't a true hate potion because the drinker chooses to cultivate the hatred him/herself._

_As of now, no one has created an antidote._

**_Ingredients needed: (1) a smelly sock (2)two stewed feng-shui dung rat claws (3) eight black pixie wings (4) one live smolderworm (5) a head of rotten cabbage (6) two pounds of spoiled baklava (7) two gallons of proxy poison that has been strained and boiled for three days and two nights (8) a diced red magical scorpion (9) a kilogram of Shingle's EverDry dry ice_**

**_(10) two putrid flavored Maggie Cubes (12) one small green beating glow bat heart_**

"Well," I muttered and leaned back in the straight backed to think. I stole another glance at the moving picture and then at the broken beaten heart insignia. "This could certainly be it."

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

I didn't understand why my mother insisted on sending in a house elf to wake me when she breakfasted early. I barely restrained myself from throwing something at the creature but Cranky was incorrigible. How my father managed to raise three or four independent elves in such a sober home was oft beyond me.

"Is my mother awake?"

The only obvious answer was yes but I waited for him regardless.

"Eating breakfast already."

Good God, I only wanted to _sleep_.

"Alright," I said with a yawn. "Tell her that I'll be down in a bit."

I lay back in my bed and stared at the ceiling for a little bit. It was already 8:45 and I usually wake up earlier. I yawned again and stretched my hands above my head and spread my legs. My hair was spread out around my head on the pillow and I wrinkled my forehead. _Merlin._ I wanted to sleep in for some more but it had been ages since I had talked to my Mum and I wanted to catch her before she went off to make sure that the various Malfoy businesses were still running like clockwork.

I threw the sheets off of my body and slowly worked my legs over the sides of my king-sized bed. I yawned and tried to inject more energy into my movements. I bypassed taking a shower entirely and settled for washing my face. It was quite the fancy bathroom – done all on stunning black marble. Everywhere one turned, one would meet the sleek shine that accompanied the polish of the black surfaces. It was sleek, smooth, classy and just to my tastes. Feeling a wee bit better, I set about getting ready.

_Time to clean up._

**oo**

"Mum, we have to rectify this situation."

"What situation?"

"That fact that I haven't seen you in days and we live on the same estate!"

We were seated in that special dining room that my father had built in order to ensure family time. There were times when I found myself unconsciously expecting the stern presence of my Dad and there were times when I found myself missing him. A brief pang hit me then before it was interrupted by the light laughter of Mum.

"And whose fault is that?" She pulled her snow white robe closer to her body before reaching for her glass of pumpkin juice. "Weren't you the one who complained about waking up for breakfast?"

"I don't see that it has stopped you," I said nicely.

She stared me down and shook her head.

"Then how are you and Miss Hermione faring these days?"

"A lot better, I think." I bit into my buttered muffin hungrily and chewed completely before continuing. "She had the gall to ask me to apologize for moving her things here."

Mum's eyebrows rose.

"The gall," she said dryly. "I trust she put you in your place quite nicely."

I kept forgetting that I was surrounded by women who couldn't find it in their hearts to agree with my need to protect them. When Mother shook her head and continued to sip her juice, I rolled my eyes.

_Honestly, what is it that I like about Hermione Granger?_

Besides the fact that she'd been forced on me by a belligerent government.

The truth was that there were a lot of things that appealed to me about her. Firstly, she's brilliant – both smart and witty. I don't think that I would have wanted anyone who was of a lower intellect than I am. And truth be told, I do believe that she may be smarter than me. But keep in mind that that is an awfully big**may**. Secondly, she's loyal. I've certainly watched her behavior among friends. She's aware of their flaws but it doesn't keep her from wanting to protect them. Thirdly, she's a challenge. Hermione Granger will not be easy to woo and I definitely welcome a challenge. I like being challenged and I like to win…so I know that I'm going to get her to fall in love with me before and I'm unflinchingly sure that I've already begun to fall in love with her. And fourthly (for now), I find her attractive. She's petite at 5'6, which makes me want to protect her, and only a little curvy. She's rather tanned which is a contrast to my pale skin that I'm beginning to love, and her hair is as curly as mine is straight.

_Actually,_ I thought to myself happily as I finished my muffin with pumpkin juice, _I rather like everything that makes us opposite. I can't fathom why but does it really matter?_

I frowned.

I was beginning to sound like a sentimental Hufflepuff, even in the confines of my own mind.

"Draco."

"Pardon me, Mother," I said with a start. "What did you say?"

"What on earth has you so absent?"

I smiled.

"Mother, would you do me the great honor of letting me take you to dinner tomorrow evening?"

She looked delighted.

"That certainly looks like a 'yes'."

"Don't attempt to distract me," she said happily, "though you can. When will she come by today?"

"Sometime this afternoon, I believe. Once she lets me know what she wants I'm heading off to Blaise's."

"I need to speak with her about something so do let me know when she stops in." Before I could ask what she needed to discuss with Hermione, Mother patted my shoulder and swept out of the room.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

I had finally found the potion but it didn't seem to clear up the issue of George's minimal loss of memory. Katie hadn't suffered the same loss of memory, and so there was reason to believe that George's memory loss was caused by a different factor. As far as I knew, potions didn't seem to have spoilage side-effects…they simply stopped working past a certain time. But it could be that witches and wizards make the assumption that a spell or a mixture has been working since the dawn of time and don't pick up on small side-effects? I should have questioned George today – and Katie.

Damn, I was making no headway into this mystery.

"Right," I muttered to myself as I began to pack my bags.

I picked up my quill to finish adding notes to my piece of parchment. When I was done, I methodically folded the parchment and put it in a folder in my bag. The books rose and floated off on their merry way so I checked my bag to ascertain that the flyer that Ginny had to given me was still there. It was and so I set off.

Now, to find Draco Malfoy.

The grounds were immense and I'd gotten used to coming into his home through the most expedient route – attached to his arm by Apparition. Why on earth I was attempting it now from the very edges of the property, I hadn't the faintest. I did always like a challenge! Extensive study had told me that there were seven gates on the Malfoy property, sought of like seven rings. I'd already bypassed the first heavy black gate, walking as quickly along the main path as the landscape allowed, so that I could go through the gardens.

Narcissa Malfoy had explained that the gardens served as both a beautiful forefront to the home _and _protection - the immaculately trimmed lawns were as soaked in light and dark magic, thanks to generations of powerful and paranoid Malfoys. The booklore she'd let me borrow from the library confirmed this_. _The sculptures of the gardens between the fourth and third gate had the ability to come to life, and the books told me they often did to patrol the grounds or greet the owners-

- which didn't explain why I nearly jumped out of my skin the minute I stepped through the third gate.

As far as I could see, the structures of both stone and bushy were moving about business known only to them. But hadn't the books mentioned set patrolling times? Why were they so…well…busy at this time of the morning? And good God, what was that larger statue to my right? It looked like some sort of warrior and it looked…alert! I tried to move as cautiously as I could, in case, they viewed me as a threat but didn't get very far before the stone eyes of the warrior fastened on my face.

_Oh dear, _I thought worriedly, _what am I to do?_

"Who are you?"

Their voices were much _much _deeper than the ones that guarded the Headmaster's quarters at Hogwarts. I tried not to wince, and stood bravely.

"Hermione Granger."

Though only a single sculpture was speaking, it felt as if the _entire_ place was whispering my name. I briefly thought about letting panic take me so I could get Draco here but dismissed the idea. I was Hermione Granger and I'd stood down situations much scarier than this.

_Deep breath, my girl, _I scolded myself.

"Will you let me pass?"

Its impassive face never moved but the sudden whispers stopped. I waited. The deep voice rang out again.

"You have free run of the grounds, my lady."

It was a statement that rang in my ears, not a question.

"I-I do?" I asked dumbly. "I mean, I do?"

"You do. You are future mistress here.

If my eyes had been tea saucers before, they were dinner plates now. _Mistress?_ _My lady? _What on earth-

"Please proceed, Mistress."

For a moment, I'm sure that my jaw was unhinged and my eyes threatened to bulge out of my head.

"Um, thank you."

It took me another five minutes to recover as I made my way to the last inner gate, on my guard for more surprises. Oddly enough, there seemed to be no magical barriers today and apart from the appearance of a gargoyle over ahead, I was alone.

_Imagine that, _I marveled again as I followed the wondering path to the apex of the hill, _stone groundkeepers!_

I'd never turn my nose at the Malfoy grounds again. The Manor was at the bottom of the hill, looking as if it was nestled right where it was supposed to be. I descended the hill, keeping to the central path and noting all the Grecian arches of the house. It was white in its entirety – from the fifteen foot pillars that marked the area above the steps to the large front door to the shutter.

_Can I see myself living here?_

It was gorgeous and elegant. In my mind, an image was already forming of children playing in the gardens; wandering over the lawns with the sculptures that doubled as guardians. I needed to stop myself before the images in my head got out of life. What was I thinking? I wasn't ready for all of that yet. But as Ron had said, it was only a matter of time until I fell in love with Draco Malfoy – I was sure of it. I climbed the twenty-five steps to the front door as I thought. So back to my original question – could I see myself living here? A slow smile blossomed across my face as I used the immense knocker to bang away on the door.

_Yes, I can._

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

"Mistress Hermione Granger is awaiting your arrival downstairs on the third floor in the room that holds all of her possessions." Cranky had delivered this message almost five minutes ago; yet for some unfathomable reason I was still upstairs trying to figure out what Granger wanted. I had known the exact moment that Hermione had entered the house, had been utterly aware of her movements and proximity from that time on. It had occurred to me after breakfast with mum that Granger might have decided that nothing had changed. Knowing the fickle female mind, I was prepared even if I might have been acting irrational. I didn't want to keep her waiting, per say, I just wanted to be armed with something in case she had decided to retract the apology that she had rendered yesterday.

_Got it._

I took the steps two at a time in order to make up for precious wasted time. The closer I got to her the more my mind buzzed with apprehension and awareness of her nearness. When I arrived at the living room downstairs on the fifth floor, I stopped and took inventory.

_Weapon – check. Clothes – check. Hair – check._

I strolled into the room with my wand held loosely to see Granger stroking the blue vase that I had repaired when I moved her stuff. Her back was to me and it gave me time to gaze at her.

She was dressed as casually as they come, in a dark blue dress that I'd never seen her wear before. When she turned her body toward the window to her left, I saw that she had the same vase that I'd fixed cradled in her arms. She was stroking the piece very tenderly, gazing at it with an affectionate smile.

_Figure that._ I thought to myself. _I am gazing at her gazing at the vase._ I seemed to be gazing at her a lot lately. A moment later, Granger turned to see me leaning against the wall.

"Good morning," I said with a wary smile.

I was cautious and on alert for any sight of anger. There was none.

"Why are you holding your wand?"

"I wanted to be armed in case you decided to attack me," I said casually, "not that I would ever aim a spell towards you."

Her face wrinkled into something that looking suspiciously like displeasure.

"And why would I want to do that?" Her eyes narrowed. "Have you done something else that I should know about?"

"N-no! No!"

I lifted my hands in a placating gesture and resisted the urge to back up a couple of steps on the plush dark green carpet.

"You haven't?"

"I haven't! I just thought that you might be reconsidering that apology yesterday."

For a moment, Hermione looked at me as if she were considering something. Then, surprisingly, she grinned and strolled over to me to push my hands out of the way before rising on tiptoes to kiss me on the cheek. Instead of passing out as I wanted to do at the pleasant surprise, I smiled and looked down into her eyes.

"No," she said. Her arms slipped around my torso as she lowered herself out of tiptoe…another surprise in the form of a brief hug but I was certainly _not_ complaining. "I'm not angry and I haven't come to beat you to a pulp."

I was shell-shocked…was Hermione Granger _actually _hugging me?

"Good," I said warily and slapped a hand over my heart, just to make her laugh. "Because it's been a very long two days."

"Your own fault," she shot back primly. "I'm sure there'll be plenty enough time for that later."

"I've been waiting for ages," I said. "You look different today."

She did.

"Thank you," she said very softly with a slow smile that blossomed in bits and pieces across her face. Even though she moved out of my arms at the same time, I couldn't help but smile back. "Must have been the shock."

I wanted to take advantage of the amazing mood that Hermione Granger seemed to be in because I didn't know when she'd be feeling this good again. My arms slipped around her own waist and one hand found itself at the base of her neck, carelessly kneading the skin there. Instead of blushing, she closed her eyes and leaned into the caress by tipping her head back and letting her heavy sheet of hair cover my hand. For a long minute, she let me knead the back of her neck.

Then her last statement sunk in.

"The shock?" I asked. "What shock? Did you walk all the way here?"

"I could get as far as the fifth gate but then I walked the rest of the way."

My jaw dropped. That meant she'd walked over a mile!

"How long did that take you?"

She shrugged.

"Fifteen minutes going slowly."

"You should have owled me or noted-"

She laughed and shrugged again.

"I wanted to see it for myself again." She was a piece of work, this one. "And it was gorgeous and your Mum told me all about the gargoyles, so I meant to see them for myself. I'm sure you know this but the grounds are just so…"

I watched her mouth form all the words that were tumbling out of her mouth and then wondered if kissing her would stop her from talking. And _then _wondered how much I could get away with before Mother came down. She stopped and cleared her throat in such a way that I wanted to nuzzle her neck.

"Draco."

"Yes?"

"Did you hear me? He called me 'mistress'."

"Well, yes." I blinked. "Mother has begun the process of writing you into the family history. Speaking of Mother, she said she'd been meaning to speak to you about something. I imagine that's what it's about."

"She has? I mean, I am?"

"Of course," I said loftily, "you're a future Malfoy."

I don't know if she hadn't thought about that before or whether she was simply an open book this afternoon but a host of emotions flitted across her face before she sat down.

"The gardens were lovely. I didn't expect so much-"

"-color?" I finished wryly. "My father would have had a heart attack if he'd seen all that color in front of the house. Renovation and revamping of the Manor was my mother's idea and is her ongoing project."

"She's doing a lovely job."

Hermione smiled charmingly.

I smiled back.

"I'm pleased that you like it and will pass on the compliments. What's going on with that bottle?"

"Ever heard of the Quiddleby Odium Potion?"

_Dark magic lore?_

"Is that what they've been drugged with?"I asked, aghast. "Merlin's Balls, they're going to be at it for awhile. Even counteracting potions administered by St. Mungoes won't completely erase the hatred."

Her face fell.

"That's what I was going to ask you."

"What else?"

"It could have come from anywhere in England, and it could have spent any amount of time in storage…" She started to pace. "Of course the potency depends on the amount of time they spend with each other but we'll have to devise away for them to be on the same grounds without actually interacting."

She stopped and pinned me with narrowed eyes.

"I need you to a few things for me."

I eyed her warily.

"What do you need?"

"If you could stop by the restaurant today and ask for a follow-up on our mystery bartender, and then use Plunko's to note me as soon as you hear from them. I'm all set to sign the lease on the new apartment after that but I wanted to…uhm…let you look at it first."

I was delighted that she wanted me to see her new place before she signed the lease but I tried not to show it. Instead, I nodded and then raised a hand as if I were still a student in school, waving it excitedly and making a fair imitation of Granger in our Hogwarts days. She arched an eyebrow.

"Yes?"

"I have one demand."

An eyebrow rose.

"More of a request, really," I said hastily. "Request. Don't obtain an apartment within a sixty mile radius of your last one."

"That came out sounded quite similar to a demand, even though I'm going to follow this one," she responded without missing a beat.

"I'm going to drop in on Blaise and find out what's going on with everyone else's lives," I said smoothly, as if she hadn't spoken. "And then I'd like to go to a potions master in Knock Turn Alley to ask after your project."

Her gaze turned thoughtful.

"Knock-Turn Alley? I should have thought of that. In fact, I should have gone there before this."

I frowned.

"Then it's a good thing that you didn't even think about it."

"Why?"

"Because I would never let you go there," I said calmly while folding my arms across my chest, "certainly not after what happened to you last week."

She looked utterly nonplussed.

"And why ever not? I'm sure it's a respectable establishment."

My eyebrows threatened to crawl into my hairline. _Are we discussing the same alley?_

"We are not talking about the same place because Knock Turn Alley remains the least respectable and most shady area in magical London that I know of." I didn't let her interrupt. "And before you accuse me of overreacting, I want to point out that the thought of your innocent little butt traipsing through the most notorious section of the city makes me want to pass out!"

As if she wasn't going to run into danger by going there.

As if the seediest magical males didn't make that place their humble abode.

As if I was going to let her run off by herself headfirst into danger.

As if.

Her mouth hung open for a moment before she seemed to recover her wits.

"Firstly, I can take care of myself and secondly-"

"No," I very nearly yelled, "clearly, you can't! My hands gestured wildly to underscore my point. I was losing my cool big time. "You _can't_ take care of yourself and I swear that I am going to need smelling salts if you don't stop playing around with your life. If it's not being frightened or getting into a pheromone mix-up, it's going to be something else-"

She kissed me.

She honest-to-goodness kissed me. Her hands came up to cup my face and I suspected that she was on tiptoe in order to reach me. My hands understood before my brain did; I was clutching her to me before I realized that she was actually in my arms. This mental path made it impossible to simply _kiss _someone – no, it felt like I was _submerging_ myself in her. Her thoughts possessed the same elusive but familiar flavor as last time, the same taste of golden afternoons. The fact that she had started this only enforced the feeling that the kiss was a promise of forever; (and Merlin, how sentimental did _that _sound!) but I couldn't do anything about it. She pulled away a little and rocked back on her heels with pink staining her cheeks

"What I was going to say before you worked yourself into a fit over nothing was that _you're_ going to Knock Turn Alley."

I blinked and waited for my brain to catch up to her words.

"Not me," she continued, "so you shouldn't be worried. _I'm_ leaving now so that we can go about our business. There's a flyer sitting on the table that Ginny told me to give to you."

"A-" I cleared my throat, "a flyer, you say?"

Thanks to the fact that our minds were still very much linked, I felt her amusement after my stuttering. I winced.

"I gather it's about Quidditch so read it, alright?" she finally said. "I'll send that note and be by later."

Regretfully, I was only capable of a surprised nod.

She smiled and slipped out of my arms, then she took another step back before turning on her heels and leaving the room.

Mentally, I could still feel her presence and instinctively I knew when she apparated off of the Malfoy grounds. I shook my head at the empty room and almost smiled.

_If she would stop disappearing on me, maybe I would be able to dispense with this lightheadedness._

The truth was that I didn't really mind being lightheaded over Hermione Granger.


	22. HalfPost

**Author's Note - **Updated April 25th 2012. Enjoy the chapter! That last cliffie was a bit much!

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**Twenty-Second Cycle**

**Half Post**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

If Draco didn't like this apartment, he'd do well to hide his feelings.

The place was absolutely _perfect_ and I'd found it with alarming speed in Muggle London. It was unfurnished yet that was no problem because Draco had taken my furniture from the old place. It had a large bedroom, two guest rooms, a rather cozy kitchen area, and a brightly painted spacious study in which I could fit most of my personal library. I sent a very quick note using Plunko's, asking Draco to have my belongings dropped in the apartment and letting him know that my fireplace would have to be connected to the Floo network before anything could be done. His stubbornness would probably require him to interfere while I was unpacking so I said nothing to dissuade him.

_If he wants to help me unpack, that's quite alright._

I took a moment after writing the note to think about just how odd it was that I'd just penned a letter asking a Malfoy to my home to help me unpack while I could feel him complacently in the back of my head. Odd, the turns my life was taking. We may not have been anywhere the point at which we could hear each others' thoughts (to my endless gratitude), I was constantly aware of his feelings.

As soon as I had signed the deed to my perfect new place, I was in the Burrow and bothering Ron to find out what more he'd concluded about Katie and George. And it was-

"Not too much."

After sending the owl, I'd returned to the kitchen to find Ron eating porridge for lunch. Mrs. Weasley was out and about, running errands, and had delegated all the cooking to Ron. I'd once asked him why he hadn't taken it upon himself to cook a meal since he liked to eat so much, as Dean had. It wasn't until the War had been upon us that he'd become useful in the kitchen. Yet, he was sitting at the table happily eating porridge.

"What happened?"

"I went ahead and interviewed George for you since I was bored and noon had come and gone." He swallowed another spoonful. "He still doesn't remember much of what happened in that stretch of time between noon and our arrival at Enchanted Eats. But he can remember all of his previous meetings with Katie Bell, the few that have happened."

Another large spoonful disappeared into the bottomless pit that I usually call Ron. He paused and picked up a roll of parchment.

"I knew you'd want one so here's a copy of the Healer report."

Smart man, Ron.

"In my opinion," he continued while stuffing his face, "I don't think that his memory loss is something to be too concerned about because after calling Angelina this morning, Fred said that Katie was not suffering the same condition."

I shook the roll in his face.

"They agree with you?"

He shrugged.

"Inconclusive as to the memory loss."

My jaw unhinged.

"St. Mungoes said inconclusive?"

He nodded and ate some more.

"But the Healer didn't seem as worried about the memory loss as he was about the actual potion." He blindly reached out for his glass of water and gulped some down. "They administered them something but it didn't do much. They-"

"- still hate each other," I stated. "Draco said as much."

"Hmphh?"

I shook my head and he swallowed whatever he was inhaling now.

"So I take it you plan on taking the rest of the day to move?"

"You know I like to have everything in its place," I started, "but tell the rest of them that they should come over tomorrow and help me break in the new place."

Ron sat to attention.

"Does that mean that you'll cook?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever you like, Ron."

"You're getting _really _good at beef stew," he said sharply, "and Merlin knows I could go for some sweet bread and…"

He rattled on and I watched him get excited over food that I hadn't yet prepared. I took a mental note of the items that he seemed to get most agitated about, knowing that those were the ones that I would definitely have to make and then leaving everything else for "if-I-have-time-I'll-get-them". Which meant that I was making _everything_ that he was saying. Finally, he finished his list.

"What about curry?" I asked.

Ron wrinkled his nose.

"Curry's ruined for me from anyone but Padma."

My eyebrows rose.

_Interesting._

"If she can make it, invite her too. If I'm cooking for you and Dean, there'll be enough to feed a village."

He didn't take that to heart but nodded eagerly and I resisted from rolling my eyes.

"I'll leave you to it then," I strode out of the kitchen and to the door before shouting over my shoulders. "Later!"

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

"I don't like her being over in Ireland."

I'd meant to _pop in _and see where in the seven hells Zabini had gotten himself off to but ended up staying after finding the bloke moping in one of his studies. Over what he was _finally_ telling me.

"What?"

"I'm bored and tired and I don't like her being over in Ireland."

I stood rooted to the blue-carpeted floor in a state of mild shock. Is that what I thought I heard? Could I have possibly heard correctly?

Dear God, had _Blaise Zabini just __**whined?**_

Wonders would never cease. He was sitting in the chair dressed in black from the top of his head to the soles of his feet (talk about dramatic, although the entire Zabini Mansion was done in stark shades of black, silver, and white), he looked just a wee bit paler, and there were dark smudges underneath his slate grey eyes. He looked like shite. But it was the kind of shite flittering girls usually gaggle around.

"Zabini! Have you lost your mind?" I went over to poke him in the shoulder. His eyes flew open and he glared at me. He was very irritated but I was _still_ in shock. This wasn't the buddy I knew, whose practical behavior bordered on cold reason. "Did you just…whine?"

The look on his face was so withering that I almost laughed. It's not like I've never witnessed Blaise in a foul mood – it's just that his foul mood was never _this_ foul. When he flung an arm over his eyes angrily, he looked the very paragon of a disturbed moody poet.

"I don't whine."

"Forgive me, then," I drawled, "since I was almost completely sure that your voice had hit a pitch that I've yet to hear in those over the age of two."

"Malfoy-"

"Blaise, mate, get up." I would show him no mercy – he was moping about. "A bit of food will put you to rights."

"Stop acting like a bloody mother dragon, Drake." He was even cursing now. Interesting. "If you-"

"I will," I interrupted, "if you get up and eat some breakfast."

He didn't reply immediately. Instead, he lifted his arm from his eyes and let it drop into his lap. I could sort of see where females might mistake Blaise for some sort of dark Adonis, with his high cheekbones and brown skin and silver earring. And that pout on his face would probably tempt any woman to come save him from his woes. The idiot sat in that chair for such a long while that I was itching to move just to provide some movement in the room. His eyes remained close and I fought to sit silently to let him do whatever it was that he was doing.

"Fine."

His dark grey eyes snapped open and he lethargically dragged himself to his feet. As slow as wall paint drying the Muggle way, Blaise moved to the door and I followed behind him. We went down a flight of stairs before I spoke.

"When was the last time that you saw Pansy?"

"About three days ago," he answered slowly.

_That explains it._

The bond required that those who were affianced to each other meet every single day. You would think that Blaise with his magnificent head for numbers and facts would put the two together.

"Then leave off work and see her today. You are, after all, the boss."

He said nothing and I rolled my eyes when he wasn't looking at me. We walked (I strode and then came back to nudge him forward repeatedly) until we reached the closest breakfast room, where I sat him down and made him eat as much as possible. I loaded his plate down with eggs, muffins, sausages and got him to polish off a large glass of pumpkin juice. And by the time that was done, Blaise Zabini felt and acted a lot more like himself.

"The bottom line is that you need to see Pansy today." I folded my arms across my chest and leaned back in the straight-backed wooden chair that I was currently sitting in. Blaise did the same across from me. "I'm sure that she's been feeling off as well. How is it that you two haven't had the sense of mind to write letters and owl them…o-or call or anything?"

Blaise was silent for a moment.

"We're sort of in the middle of a row."

"Well then," I snorted, "you _sort of_ better get out of it then!" I elbowed him in the side. "You look terrible and I can only _imagine_ what Pansy looks like…and the picture in my head is not pretty. What about?"

"Ireland and how much time she spends there."

The most progressive man I knew about witch's right to work…was giving Pansy Parkinson shit over her _job_?

"That sounds quite juvenile," I said as I surveyed Blaise through scrutinizing eyes. "And I've never known you to be juvenile. Granted, that allows you an excuse…yet fighting over her job?"

"I don't rightly know what came over me."

"So it's your fault then?" He glared. I held my hands up to try and beat off the malice in that look. "I'm only asking you what you would ask me, mate. Is it or isn't it?"

"I suppose it is."

"Mark that this is a word I only recently added to my vocabulary, but I believe you might have to 'apologize' at this juncture." I sighed."You know I'm right, mate. And you know I'm only saying it because you've said the same to me before."

Zabini looked utterly miserable.

"I can't believe this is coming from you-"

"I apologized last night and it was a life-changing experience."

I arched an eyebrow and smiled wryly.

"I'm sure it was, I'm sure it was." Blaise said quietly. "…so I just have to apologize. I know I do." He nodded to himself. "But it'll be hard to get her around so she won't be sore at me."

"Who said it would be easy?"

**oo**

Some time later, I left the Zabini Mansion to return home. I had sent the letter off to _Enchanted Eats_ from his house then departed. Blaise was getting ready to pop up in Ireland with flowers and chocolate etc. to assist him on his way to getting back on Pansy's good side. I returned to my Manor around five o'clock to find that my mother had received Hermione's letter and had gone ahead and begun to send the boxes to the new apartment. The third floor was a flurry of activity with house elves using magic to move things and constantly popping in and out of my fireplaces. Mum was at the head of everything, directing and correcting and generally presiding over all. It was madness.

"Mum?"

"Darling," she said distractedly as she motioned a house elf kindly into a green fire. Her eyes met mine briefly before she turned to admonish another house elf. "Be careful with that- Darling, I've taken care of everything."

"A-alright," I said uncertainly as I stood back and let my mum take over. _Whatever she wants…_ "Then I'm just going to-"

"Master Malfoy." I was interrupted by a small squeaky voice coming from the vicinity of my waist. "Mistress Hermione Granger is on her way up the stairs at this moment."

I'd figured as much. The soft spot in my head that smelled of Hermione was gradually heating up, becoming more and more active as she got closer and closer to me. I wouldn't have noticed it before the house elf's announcement but now I was anticipating her imminent arrival. If only I could tell exactly where she was, I would surprise her but alas, our bond wasn't strong enough for that yet. The house elf apparated noiselessly and I turned from the business of the living room to stride to the stairs.

"Mum, I'll be back up in a tick."

She only smiled.

I grinned back and headed down the stairs just in time to topple right into Hermione. Unfortunately, we were also right at the top of a very short flight which meant…chaos erupted.

We tumbled down the short flight of stairs, a jumble of flying arms and waving legs and grunts. It was a complete blur and, by sheer luck, we ended in a gasping but intact heap at the foot of the stairs on dark green carpet. Hermione was crumpled underneath me at a relatively normal angle, except for the fact that one of my hands was curled into a fist and jammed into the middle of her spine. Her wild sun-streaked hair was everywhere – in my mouth, tangled in the buttons of my waist coast, spread out over her face and scattered on the carpet. I was half on and half-off of her body, intensely aware of her small size next to my own. One of my legs was bent at the knee and covered her thighs. My other arm had been flung awkwardly over my head and my face was settled in the crook of her neck.

"Draco," Hermione said in a shallow breath. "You're squishing me."

…true.

But I was also in the perfect position to take advantage of this opportunity to grope her - tastefully. I moved the hand that was trapped under her back to make busy work of her brassiere through her shirt.

She jerked forwards then said my name firmly.

"Now, now darling." I drawled as I nuzzled the soft flesh of her neck. She smelled very brisk…no scent except for that of regular soap. I lifted my body slightly so that my roaming hand could slip under her butt to give it a nice long squeeze. She gasped and I chuckled again. "What exactly are you protesting?"

"Draco," she said warningly. "You'd better-"

There were definitely better things she could be doing with her mouth, like (let's say) gasping. So I pulled her hair up to angle her face better, and kissed her collarbone. Like magic, it produced the desired sound.

When I lifted my head to look at her, her face was quickly turning red.

Merlin help me, but she was adorable!

"So," I asked carelessly. "So does that mean that if we were in a secluded area you would be entirely willing to continue these activities?"

I don't think she knew what to do when I rolled over unto my own back and pulled her with me so that she was now lying across me with her legs between mine. I congratulated myself on a job well done as her unclasped bra now slid off of her breasts. She, on the other hand, looked as if she was going to die somewhere between anger and mortification.

A sudden laugh threatened to break free yet I restrained it and settled for a smirk to annoy her. She lurched into an upward position and yanked her hands over her chest.

"Draco!"

"I do love it when you scream my name," I whispered huskily and reached out to cup her face. "But you're going to attract quite a few people into the vicinity if you keep that up."

"How dare you-"

Her glare only made her cuter and I decided to relent if only to make sure that my mother didn't catch us in such a position. I sighed and sat up slowly, moving Hermione into sitting position as well. I slipped hands around her waist and quickly stood to my feet, pulling her up with me. She grunted then glared at me and I finally laughed.

"Don't glare so." I reached out to run my fingers over the top of bushy hair but she moved away from me and shot daggers with her dark brown eyes.

"It is quite becoming and you wouldn't want me all over you again so soon, would you?" She immediately stopped glaring.

"You just keep testing me," she muttered and tightened her hold on her falling bra straps. And since her bra was still unclasped, I turned her around to redo it through her shirt. I had to lift her heavy hair over one shoulder so I took the time to briefly run my hands through her wild curls. Snapping the brassiere back was fairly simple yet I took my time to redo the clasps simply because I could. When I finished, I let my arms fall to my sides before sighing at the mental fuming that Hermione was still doing.

"I apologize," I said softly.

She stilled. "I seem unable to keep my hands off of you at the moment." I briefly rested my forehead against the crook of her neck. In that moment, the warm spot that was Hermione in my mind flared._Whoa…_Whether it was from the brief but emotional contact or the fact that she was slightly irritated, the warm spot into full-blown heat.

I spun her shoulders around so that she was now facing me again, and we stared at each other. Her gaze was wary and uncertain yet a faint smile lingered around her cherry lips.

"I say, you're not trying nearly as hard as you should to keep your hands to yourself."

I laughed. " 'Struth."

"And I rather think you would much prefer it if we tumbled down the stairs more often." _Or tumbled into bed…_my head immediately filled with images of Hermione in my bedroom, stripping off her polo and letting her khaki pants drop to the floor. I could imagine the glow of her skin in flickering candle-light and the light immediately took me back to our second first date. It reminded me of how one minute the flickering light would illuminate the contours of her closed eyes and nose and chin, the other minute leaving just her hair glinting honey brown and gold. The same warmth that flooded my lower belly then pooled in my loins now. _I'm thinking about pinning her to the floor again_. A very naughty smile lit my face as I let the arousing images play out in my head-

"Draco!" I snapped out of it immediately to see Hermione looking at me suspiciously. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

_Draco, control yourself._

"No reason at all," I said blandly and took one of her hands in mine to lead her up the stairs.

She hesitated momentarily before allowing herself to be led up unto the third floor.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

_I almost cannot believe him,_ I thought to myself as I stared at Draco's back.

He had totally made a move on me…on the floor! Of his home!

Where anyone could have walked in on it!

This was only – what, the fourth? – the fourth time I'd been to his home! I don't know if I have ever been so mortally terrified in my life – I had no desire to ever be found at the foot of a grand master staircase by my future mother-in-law, much less in the arms of her son while he did inappropriate things.

Good God, I still wanted to strangle him!

I didn't ever want Narcissa Malfoy to walk in on something like that while I was conscious and could bear embarrassment. I could almost hear him chuckling in my head, and I could certainly feel his amusement through the bond. My hand in his was the only thing reminding me that I actually liked him while he tugged me around the corner.

The fool.

The staircase came up and out in front of the room that held all of my belongings, right in the middle of the very long and wide floor. Its double doors were flung open in order to let people out and in quickly. The entire floor was full of hustling male and female house elves of various colors and sizes. Each house elf wore clean silver or dark-green toga-like uniforms that seemed to be made of rich wool. I peaked over Draco's side to see a group of them under a floating packed box – one of mine – on the way to the green Floo fire of the fireplace. Another group was inside the room whispering to each other in squeaky breathy voices that failed to carry in spite of their high tone. My eyes widened and I watched amusedly as two of my boxes went whizzing over Draco's head to sail back into the room and drop gently to the carpeted floor. In the midst of everything, Narcissa Malfoy stood with upraised arms and wand in hand. She seemed to be orchestrating everything, directing a patiently waiting house elf to one group or another house elf into the fire.

"Mrs. Malfoy?" I asked. I stepped out from behind Draco, still holding his hand.

Draco's lovely mother stood in a light cloak of the deepest and brightest blue. Her glimmering silver-blonde hair cascaded straight down her back, and as she turned to see us, a smile lit her small heart-shaped face.

"Good afternoon, Hermione." She said pleasantly, walking over to the two of us. She reached out to take my free hand and squeezed it gently.

"Good afternoon to you," I said in what I hoped was a calm voice. I was always a wee bit awed by her presence. "How are you?"

"Fine, although I've been helping Draco move all of your belongings into the new apartment. I would have loved to let you unpack but the house elves couldn't help themselves."

"I am sure they did a wonderful job, nonetheless," I said after clearing my throat. "How did you get my fireplace connected to the Floo network so fast?"

She looked mildly puzzled.

"We requested as such this morning."

Usually, these requests took a little over twenty-four hours. Clearly what the Malfoy name lacked, the Malfoy gold made up for in spades.

"And what happened to 'I'll be back in a tic'?" Mrs. Malfoy turned to her son with an 'I-told-you-so' expression on her face.

It is very possible I stopped breathing – I was horrified to think that she might possibly know _anything_ about what had happened on the landing.

That same smile rose to Draco's face and a feeling of satisfaction drifted through the bond. And then suddenly, I experienced the most disconcerting feeling of double vision. A very large bedroom with a glimmering starlight silver ceiling an enormous bed with sheets in soft green – all of this overlaid the room I should have been standing in. This bed was situated up against the wall, in the very middle of the wall. There was a familiar wooden bureau of the darkest wood imaginable with a polish that stood next to a closed silver painted door that I was facing. A gilded oval mirror hung right above it. The window on the very far-away wall between the head of the bed and the bureau revealed no light, setting the image no earlier than dusk. The walls were collectively dark green, although it seemed as if there were lighter and darker hues blended in to produce the final product. The whole room was shadowed, lit as if by flickering candle-light, and the atmosphere seemed at once hazy and dreamy. As the image floated along, I nearly slapped myself.

_By Merlin, this is Draco's bedroom._

Granted the room was interesting and the fact that it was Malfoy's room certainly made it interesting. But that was **not** what attracted the bulk of my attention, I assure you. That honor went to the two naked figures that I spied with my mental eyes up against the wall on the far left of the room. I caught sight of one of the most intimate scenes I've ever witnessed - a man and a woman in the throes of passion. The man seemed to be curved over the female, and because I was at the very fortunate (or unfortunate, you choose) advantage of being able to catch a terrific view of this male's naked backside, I couldn't see what he was doing to the woman. I took in the lovely smooth skin of the man's back, The only thing of her that I could see was her long wildly curly hair tumbling over the arms of the man.

_Curly hair…curly hair…brown curly-_

A wave of shock washed over me.

_My God, is t-that__**me**__? And__**him?**_

All I can say is that once I realized who those two people were the image suddenly became _audible_.

Yes, audible.

And the sounds that were coming out of my mouth surprised me. A moan the volume of…of…of the Lord only knows what slipped out the image Hermione and real Hermione watched on in fascination, let me tell you. As I watched, dream Draco's hands made an agonizingly slow sweep over my dream Hermione's hips before gliding between-

Oh, good God.

The image dropped as suddenly as it had appeared (small blessings!) and left me standing in a room with Draco, Lady Malfoy and the biggest blush the world had ever seen.

That image had to have come from his mind. It certainly hadn't come from _mine. _And God knows if it had, I wouldn't have been thinking about it at the single most inappropriate moment of the day and there's no way that any thought originating from my head could have just…taken over my corporeal vision. Was this-

"…took a little longer than I expected."

- a side effect of the bond? I'd imagined you would hear thoughts the way you hear someone…speak to you. But as I'd never had any experience with any disembodied voices in my head, I had no idea through which I'd experience them. Luna had said that for her it was more like getting a snapshot of Dean's present emotions. Ginny'd muttered that she read Harry's thoughts, rather like reading a book.

"…don't suppose she's ready to move out already, Draco? All the boxes have been sent…"

Neither made any sense to me.

And neither was what I'd just experienced.

Was it possible to have a thought take over your vision? I'd never cared to look at a legitimate definition of the word 'dream', even less the word 'daydream'. Perhaps, it was more than time to look.

_I can't have that happen again, _I thought feverishly as I chewed that over.

Or at least not at such an inconvenient time…good Lord, Draco had an overactive mind!

"…think so. Hermione?"

I supposed the easiest place to start would be the library here at the Manor. I had unlimited access to everything and anything on the premises, according to Draco, and I would use it to my full advantage. There had to be precedent for this. Not to mention I would have to write the Ministry with a detailed explanation of the incident. They would be _far _more likely to know if this had happened to anyone else-

"Hermione."

"Yes?"

I answered before I knew I was even being called. When I looked up, both Malfoys were staring at me. I colored up again.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Your things have been sent over – we're free to head over to the apartment now. Can we?"

My research would just have to wait until the day was over.

"Of course. Let's go."

We went.

**oo**

"I like it."

Those were Draco's first words upon entering my new flat. The plain white walls were now covered with brightly colored watercolors of landscapes that Daddy and Mum had given me over the years. My comfortably plush furniture was satisfactorily arranged in the living room around my telly, and there was a new carpet of maroon and dark green that I was sure came courtesy of the Malfoys. Curtains of the same shade of green hung from what had been a bare window when I'd first seen it, and the décor followed a theme. The whole time I was careful to keep out of physical contact with Malfoy in order to avoid either one of us becoming too aware of the other.

_Because awareness leads to touching and touching leads…elsewhere._

Especially now that I knew his mind was concocting all sorts of…things.

"And it's only twenty minutes from the Manor by Muggle transportation. Not that it would matter where you are."

As he talked, I moved around the living room to touch my furniture and cushions. The action reassured me – I breathed a silent breath of relief before turning back to see Draco wandering out of the living room and into the kitchen. I followed him and was again surprised at what I saw.

I supposed that when he'd ordered my stuff out of the old apartment, the house elves had packed everything according to what type of item it was. There was no way that all of my culinary utensils could be unpacked and in their right places otherwise. I went about looking into every single cupboard and drawer. My knife-holder was full and every drawer was neatly labeled. The cupboards held all my plates, cups, serving dishes etc. and the one beneath the sink held everything a woman or man could ever want for cleaning a house magically. When I opened the fridge, I nearly passed out at the sheer quantity of food. Cured ham, blood sausages, English muffins, frozen fish, smoked beef, wheat bread, turkey bacon, roasted veal, white bread, rice pudding, a preserved container of kippers, jars of ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard…I saw plain hot dogs, two cold whole chickens that had already been baked and only needed heat for the dining table. It was stocked with cold drinks – everything from orange and apple juice to pumpkin juice and grape soda pop.

"Wow," I breathed with eyes as wide as saucers. I turned to address Draco who was leaning against the counter across from me. "I really must thank your mother for all of this."

"It's nothing," he said absently as he examined the counters.

I closed the fridge.

"If that's 'nothing', then I'm scared to open the pantry now!"

Nonetheless, I advanced to the pantry door and pulled it open to see…

Bounty.

Crackers, different kinds of cheeses, mix for pancakes or waffles, three sacks of potatoes stacked up against the walls, bottles of water, dried fruit like apricots and prunes, cans of salmon, fresh vegetables like asparagus and celery and beets, more bread of different kinds, tea brews, coffee brews, cookies, lemon and pound and sesame seed cake, yogurt, cereals, granola bars…

_Merlin,_ I thought dazedly as I took it all in before I realized that this was from a Muggle food store. _Merlin! A whole __**country**__could go wild with this._

"Draco," I breathed. "Look at this! _Look_ at this!"

I waved my hands frantically in the air. He calmly strode over to me and glanced in. He looked a tad bit confused.

"Yes?"

"It's a whole lot of…a lot of 'nothing'!" I squeaked. "What it is, is a project that would take me a year to eat through!"

He smirked and took my hand to pull me away from the pantry.

"Let's have a look at the rest of the house."

We proceeded to my spacious study which had been turned into an informal library of sorts. My books had been unpacked and set up in a new bookcase, according to subject and then alphabetically categorized by author. My posters of various book authors and characters were posted on the white walls for a homey touch.

"Oh my," I breathed again.

As I suspected, my drawers were full of writing utensils and all the books pertaining to the art of Healing were already neatly placed on a large business-like desk that was a little ways from my bookcase. Another rug, this time in a deep russet hue, was thrown in the middle of the room.

Again I was speechless. Draco gently closed my open mouth, nudging it shut with a chuckle.

"I love it when you're speechless but you really should get the hang of the closed**-**mouth thunderstruck look."

I snapped my mouth shut and glared, but even that was fleeting since the splendor of the room was incredible. Clearly, my future mother-in-law had taken great pains to decorate my new apartment in a way that felt surprisingly comfortable to me. One would think that she would be inclined towards the heavy solid colors seen in most of Malfoy Manor but the walls were a gentle cream that contrasted with my dark sheets and the dark carpet.

She'd even put in a luxurious looking vanity desk that I'd never seen before in my life, already laid-out with my usual makeup pots and creams. I briefly stepped into my personal bathroom to find everything neat and clean, the plain white tile satisfactory enough for my own lifestyle.

_Toothbrush, tooth paste, brushes, combs…_

"Well," I murmured dazedly, "I guess that there's nothing to unpack then."

I murmured as I moved out of the closet and around the corner of the bed to examine a small bedside desk. Draco watched me touch the desk from the other side of the room with a smile.

"Seems so. Mother outdid herself, as is usually her wont."

Honestly.

The woman deserved a standing ovation, especially since I had _so much_ stuff.

"I can't believe it. I must return tomorrow morning and thank her for this," I said slowly, "it must have taken a long time."

Draco crossed the room -

-and I was suddenly quite aware of the fact that we were alone in my bedroom. My bedroom. As in the room with a ridiculously large bed and soft organic cotton gray sheets made to cushion anything and everything.

And 'everything' could mean _everything_.

"So," I struggled to keep my voice steady as I turned to see Draco leaning against the wall with arms crossed over his chest. "Did you ever look at that paper that I gave you?"

"Actually, no. But I certainly did bring it with me."

While he dug into his trouser pockets to pull out the paper, he dropped unto the bed. I felt a little hot just watching him, which was both disconcerting and vaguely worrisome. That damned vision had thoroughly ruined me for remaining completely appropriate in my thoughts – all I could see was the way his trousers made his legs look longer than usual, and the way his fair hair caught the light. He looked up and probably saw me bypassing red and heading unto puce but all he did was cock his head curiously before indicating the letter.

"May I?"

I nodded_._

" Did you look at it first?"

I nodded again and cautiously made my way over to sit next to him on the bed.

All I had to do was keep from touching him.

Easy enough, really. It's not that I didn't want to touch him – heaven knows that I did – but I simply didn't know how to read him! I mean, _obviously _he didn't _not _want me...if that made any sense. But how could one have such intense and explicit dreams and still remain entirely calm around the person one was having the dreams about? Perhaps, men's brains always had a litany of desire running undercurrent to everything else. If I had been having that daydream, I would have been acting upon it!

But he'd had that daydream while talking, in front of his own mother no less!

I simply couldn't act upon something that he wasn't acting upon! Good Lord, who knew what fantasies could pop into my head at any moment? Maybe one of Draco shirtless, his pretty blonde hair free of restraint and smooth chiseled alabaster chest pressed up against me and his wonderfully made hands slowly running down my sides …or maybe a fully clothed Draco Malfoy whose lean arms were wrapped around my waist and whose lips were pressing wet kisses into my collarbone…or maybe a Draco chained to the bed-

"Hermione?"

I snapped out of my daydream with a bang that would have had me sprawled out on the floor if it hadn't been for his arms around my waist. Draco was looking at me with concern yet through the bond I felt dawning understanding. _Crap! Tell me he didn't catch any of that!_ To my everlasting gratitude, he simply put me to rights without comment.

"U-uh, no." I was sheepish. "Sorry, what were you saying?"

He looked at me with a smirk before letting it go and continuing.

"You've been awfully absent today. I was _saying_ that Weasellete is brilliant. How did she know that I would want to go into something like this?"

"I don't actually remember telling her that you like Quidditch so she must have figured it out on her own."

"Well then," he beamed happily and the force of his warmth made me want to come closer. "Please pass on my gratitude for the heads-up."

I said nothing.

Instead, I leapt to my feet to stride the few feet to my bedroom door and lead the way out into the hallway. As soon as I was in the wide hallway, I began to breathe a bit easier. As long as I wasn't confined in too-small spaces with Draco, I would be able to successfully ignore my urges. I didn't need to turn to feel that he was directly behind me. I lead the way into my living room and dropped myself into the couch then pulled a bright red pillow into my lap to keep my hands busy.

"I'll be sure to. When does it say the tryouts are?"

"Saturday evening."

I started and bit my bottom lip in sudden anxiety.

"_This_ Saturday evening?"

"Yeah." He interrupted himself as he remembered something. "Your preliminary Healer exams are that afternoon, yes?"

I nodded.

"Don't tell me that you're nervous, Little Miss Know-It-All?"

He leaned back against the soft cushions to settle himself more comfortably into the couch. His long arms lazily dropped to rest behind the couch.

"Are you out of your mind?" I exclaimed, suddenly on the edge of the seat. "Do you know how many things could go _**wrong**_? Anything! Everything! What if I completely blank? What if it asks a question to which I don't know the answer? What if I forget my writing materials and no one has any quill to lend me? What if I arrive late and they don't let me in? What if I don't wake up at all? What if-"

"You're overreacting?"

He finished my question with a highly skeptical and amused face.

"There's nothing to worry about, Hermione."

"But there might be." My shoulders drooped and my gaze dropped to the intricate pattern of the couch. "You don't know that anything's concrete for sure."

Infinitely gently, Draco Malfoy lifted my chin and angled my face towards his.

I found myself momentarily breathless as I stared at him. His smirk had turned into a warm crooked smile, all lips with just a hint of his pearly whites in the midst. His face seemed a little bit more open than usual; his porcelain skin refused to stop glowing and his eyes were the blue-gray that they usually took on at ordinary times like this. With my breath gone, I couldn't even smile back.

"You're an idiot."

His smile was brilliant but his words were horrible, and I should have been horribly mad but the gentle way he said it negated everything.

"Because I know that you are going to do excellently in that test; breeze through it as if it were open book; pass with flying colors and probably end up with a whopping two hundred and ten percent as a final grade."

A smile blossomed across my face and he adopted a haughty look.

"You know exactly how to make an insult sound like the nicest thing I've heard all day."

"That's what I'm here for," he calmly said as the pad of his thumb rubbed against my lower cheek.

The rush of heat that had enveloped me in the room threatened to come back and with my walls down, Draco would know exactly why it was happening. I tugged my chin out of his hand gently before anything could happen.

"So." I cleared my throat. "Will you attend?"

He gave me the kind of stare one reserves for children and the mentally deficient. I winced but it was the best thing I'd had on hand to distract him with.

"Yes, I would absolutely love to go pro with Quidditch."

Even though he said it, it still somewhat surprised me.

"Really?"

"I'm eighteen years old and I have the world at my feet," he said simply. For a moment I envied him that sentiment. I didn't feel that in control of my life – hadn't felt that way for a little while. "I can do anything I want to – go into business, take up Healing or become an Auror or _anything_. But if I'm going to do something, then I want to be able to enjoy myself."

"And Quidditch is it then?"

He nodded.

"I've been playing Quidditch since I learned how to walk. It was one of the few things that Father didn't mind me doing at a young age, in addition to all the elocution and deportment classes that I had to take. And mother was supportive too."

And since six Quidditch players across four teams had retired in the space of a month, these try-outs were a very modern way of picking out potential from the hopefuls. I don't think national try-outs like this had been done very often before.

Looking at the growing fervor in Draco's eyes, I nearly sighed.

"I'll come just as soon as I finish my test."

"Really?"

That small smile blossomed and Draco fairly glowed. His excitement flowed in easily through the bond and I slipped my mental barriers down a little lower to bask in it.

"But it's not as if I won't see you before – I'm coming over at noon to accompany you to the testing hall. It wouldn't do for you to be distracted-"

"I would never leave a testing center without triple-checking my work, Malfoy," I said snootily. "Not even for you."

A mock hurt look slipped across his face. I softly punched him in the arm and rolled my eyes towards the ceiling.

"You're head is inflating as you speak."

"And I bet it looks good while doing _that_ too."

"You're insufferable," I said exasperatedly.

"But you like it." His smile was brilliant.

"An accident, I assure you."

It slipped out before I figured out what I was admitting.

That statement momentarily stayed any movement on his part before he let out an inelegant squawk of utter surprise.

"Did _you_ actually just admit that you-" He paused to point his index finger squarely in my face. "-that you Miss Hermione Granger like _me_, Draco Malfoy?"

I debated denying it but I'd never found much use in lying.

"It's rather dislike to keep any facet of hatred up, with all the time we spend together," I teased. "And besides, you're not a _completely_ intolerable git. Your antics are rather adorable sometimes."

"You find me attractive too?" he asked gleefully.

And that was about as much as I planned to let him get out of me today.

"Oh Merlin, I've _**got**_ to get some studying in today so you've got to go. Come on," I indicated the door with a twist of my head. I turned on my heel and led the way.

"You really _do_ find me attractive?" He didn't see me roll my brown eyes.

"Yes, alright? Draco Malfoy, you are attractive."

_Such an idiot._

"As if you don't know that already," I muttered under my breath.

"Well then, that certainly will make doing this easier."

I glanced over at him.

"Doing wha-"

I never finished asking my question for I turned to a large healthy dose of an invasion of my personal space.

When I turned, I came face to face with one gorgeous Draco Malfoy. Once again, the light blue of his striped button-up shirt had managed to bring out the startling blue of his eyes and unluckily for me, his face was exactly on my level and less than an inch away. Once again, Draco Malfoy had left me breathless. His smirk had turned into a warm crooked smile, all lips with just a hint of his pearly whites in the midst. His face seemed a little bit more open than usual; his porcelain skin refused to stop glowing and his eyes were gradually but steadily turning darker. His palms were pressed into the smooth varnished wood of my front door, against which I was being cornered. What little space that there was between us was quickly disappearing as Draco leaned in and smile warmed. Now I could completely lie and say that I stood my ground – that I didn't have the urge to faint or that I wasn't frazzled or that I didn't initially back the heck up but the truth is that I would be lying. Ok, well I didn't have the urge to faint but my knees certainly weren't cooperating with me in the face of the emotions closing in on me through the mental bond.

"Like I said."

His low tenor voice fairly flowed over me and his smile increased in warmth. His eyes were wholly grey now, all blue disappearing under the stormy slate grey before my very eyes. One long-fingered pale hand slipped from its hold on the glossy smooth finish of my wooden door to cradle my neck. The rough pads of his fingers circled my skin, and I shivered in anticipation. I was excited – I held my breath for the simple reason that I wanted him to touch me…I was an accomplice in the act. I wouldn't stop now and I wouldn't look away…and I _really_ didn't want to. "I can't seem to keep my hands off of you today."

I decided to act on a whim and went up on tiptoe to whisper against his very soft dry lips.

"Good. Because I don't want you any other way."

Snogging must be good for the soul because that kiss darn near blew my mind. It was fierce and impossibly hot and I wanted to abandon my own body and simply crawl into his. His hands were entangled in my hair to keep me as close as humanly possible to his lips and the sharp angles and straight planes of his body kept me imprisoned between his heat and the coolness of the door. And he was entirely wrapped up in the kiss, as I was, because the bond was now a simple passage for his heady emotions.

I could feel his excitement, the ruggedly male pleasure he derived out of pinning up against my own front door. I could very well sense the possession in his mind, the _mineminemine_ rhythm beating out in an increasingly steady wrap on the inside of that gorgeous head as those hands tilted my head back and those lips ravaged mine. I heard him growl as he ground his hips into mine slowly, making me gasp and allowing him the chance to deepen the kiss.

I'm rather sure this is the point at which my knees stopped functioning altogether. I started to sink, the smoothness of the finished wood of the door speeding up my descent to the softness of the white carpet. My legs slid smoothly from out under me, bringing me to the carpet and bringing Draco into my lap. His hot mouth was attached to mine all the way down but once there, I had to pull away for a breath of air.

"My God," I said raggedly as I stared at his stormy grey eyes.

He looked just as astonished, just as windblown, just as thunderstruck as I did.

I shakily tugged on his shirt.

"Draco Malfoy, you have _got_to be the best bloody kisser in all of England."

He laughed shakily, absently sweeping some of my hair out of my face.

"Better believe it." His voice was faint but confidence pervaded it. He was still kneeling, landed in my lap as it were, with his pants uncomfortable tight and pressing wickedly close to me.

He moved in again, his mouth zeroing in before I had time to figure out why I'd tried to get him out of the house. I drowned a little before yanking myself away from him. He looked dazed _and _displeased.

"No," I breathed.

"No?"

"Well," I amended. "Yes, of course, but not right now. I really really _really _need to study-"

He sat, pulled me into his lap and kissed the underside of my chin.

"No?" he whispered again.

I couldn't have said anything since I was already arching into the hand sliding under my shirt, not to mention that his lips once again pressed to mine. His free hand anchored itself in my hair, angled my face, positioned me so that he could best kiss the living daylights out of me. The bond snapped and crackled again, merging us so that I could feel every passing emotion and vice versa. And because he was connected to me in more ways that I could count so he could feel what I wanted, Draco Malfoy slipped a hand higher up to unhook my bra and proceeded to cup my left breast in his hands. An impossible tiny gasp escaped my mouth and I felt him smirk against the tender flesh of my neck before he started to leave a wet red patch there. My head tilted back and my eyes slipped shut, the better to feel what he was doing to me. He ran a finger around me, circling before alighting on the prize.

I gasped as the rough and ridged flesh of his thumb brushed the nerve bundle that was my nipple. His other hand pressed into the small of my back to keep our middles connected, as if I couldn't already feel every single part of him.

He let go of my hair to slide the other hand under my shirt, and I arched without thinking.

"Still need to study?" he grunted.

Studying.

Yes.

There was a reason I'd brought him to this door.

So I could study…

His mouth moved down to my neck and sucked hard enough to leave a mark. His fingers seemed to be doing very interesting things that I couldn't quite concentrate enough since there was just so much other sensory overload to concern myself with. He came back, kissed me hard again.

I moaned into his mouth.

I really had to study.

I pulled myself away so forcefully that I nearly hit the door.

"Draco," I said breathlessly, "I really need-"

"-to study," he sighed, "I know."

We stared at each other again but I fought the pull this time. But _heavens_ I wanted to be all over him.

"If it's any comfort, if I didn't have this exam…"

He looked pleased.

"I know that, too."

Without me asking for help, he re-hooked my bra and planted another kiss on my collarbone. I stood first – he rose much slowly and pulled me in before ducking his head to press his lips against my forehead.

It was so unusually sweet that I closed my eyes, leaning into him briefly.

"I won't be by tomorrow so you won't be distracted," he said into my hair. "I would love nothing better than to come over at dawn and wake you up so that we could have a nice long violent twenty-four hour bout of snogging but you have to pass."

I made a sound.

"I'll fly around with the boys instead, help Mother out with some accounting."

One of his hands petted my hair and I all but purred into the touch.

"Try not to stress yourself out too much."

"I won't," I said into his chest. "I'll cover everything twice, three times if I have to. You know I will."

The rumble in his throat sounded like laughter.

"I'd better get going."

He opened the door himself and let himself out with a wave. I simply stood there and wandered how I'd ever come to the point where I'd feel honest regret to see Draco Malfoy go.


	23. Eyes On The Prize

**Author's Note - **Updated May 14th 2012. Happy summer, everyone! I'll finally have time to update frequently - please enjoy the chapter. It's going to get a bit longer now!

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**Twenty-Third Cycle**

**Eyes on the Prize**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

After kicking Draco out of my newly decorated apartment and taking a cold (cold!) shower, I decided to try and take my mind off of him with activity. I called off the house-warming party, telling everyone that I needed to immerse myself in the sea of books that I had bought to help me review for the tests, and delaying it for right after the Quidditch tryouts. Ron was a bit put out since he'd really wanted to eat some food (as if his Mum wasn't one of the world's most amazing cooks) and decided to pull Harry and Ginny and Luna into a mock Quidditch game for the next day.

Luna seemed rather out of it when I called, which was a usual state of existence for her, but she seemed even a bit _more_, if you know what I mean. I wished I had time to catch her alone but I simply told her to suggest to Ron that he should invite Draco. Since I knew that my Healer preliminary exam was no less than four whole days away, I panicked and went into 'study-freak-out-overdrive' My mind turned to studying for that, and I ended up going to bed no earlier than 4 A.M.

I was up by 9:30 the next morning, barely pausing to get a bite to eat and wash the sleep out of my eyes before diving back into a hill of books. As I brushed my teeth and washed my face, thoughts of Draco drifted through my mind. I thought of his hair, and how snarky he could be when he didn't get his way, and how easy it would be to get to the Manor whenever I wanted to. I thought about how weird it was that I thought of Draco whenever I had a spare moment. And then I tunneled through my books.

And when I say 'tunneled', I _meant _it.

I went through a total of four titles in that very first run of five hours: _So You Want to Be A Healer?_, _From Acne and Burns to Venomous Bites and Everything In Between: A Guide to the World of Healing, Magical Remedies: A Healer's Guide, The Top 500 Healing Techniques & Treatments for Common Illnesses_. Even when I went to make a milkshake out of the ice cream that Mrs. Malfoy had kindly provided, I was muttering various terms and their definitions to myself. It was a nutty morning, but I was anxious to go through the rest of my titles before anything else.

By five o'clock that afternoon, I decided that a ten-minute break would be much needed if I intended to keep up and remain focused for the rest of the time. Lying back on the couch to watch the television, I sighed. _Heavens, I hope I can keep this up until four in the morning again!_ I flipped the channel to find one of those inane reality TV shows, and this one looked particularly interesting. Something about the UK version of 'Super Sweet 16'…Just when I had settled down to see one wealthy Muggle teen boy make a fool of himself by yelling at his friends over some trivial party matter, I heard tapping at one of the large windows of my living room.

_Owl?_

I glanced at the clock sitting on the wall to see that it was still only 5:10 P.M. I wondered who it could be from but bounded of the comfy chair to the window. A sleek-looking handsome tawny owl was patiently tapping away at the glass pane.

"Hold on just a minute and I'll get it for you," I murmured to myself as I momentarily struggled with the locks of my new window before prying it open. The lovely owl flew in quickly to make a perching area of my couch.

"Are you a girl?"

The owl stared reproachfully.

"Boy?"

It…he cooed softly and I smiled as I strode over to him.

"And you look extremely familiar so you must be Draco's."

More cooing ensued.

He extended a leg with a small piece of white parchment attached to it, bearing a cream colored wax seal that showed an intertwined 'D' and 'M' flanked by two dragons. I hadn't ever seen the Malfoy crest outside of school and my eyebrows rose as I carefully looked it over. I supposed that when I became a Malfoy my own crest would look exactly the same, with the exception of the 'D' which would become an 'H'.

Once the letter was off, he ruffled his feathers and butted my head with his hand before taking flight again. I watched it make its way through the clear skies before settling down on my couch to read the letter. I broke the seal and unfolded it to find a blank page. For a moment, I stared at the page.

_What?_

I turned the page over to see the back…equally as blank.

_Alright…_

I checked the envelope again to find it empty. I didn't think I was missing anything – maybe Draco was trying to play a prank. I rolled my eyes and put the blank piece of parchment down on my couch.

_Break time's over._

It was back to work for me.

**oo**

"Ugh," I moaned as I stretched my arms over my head in an attempt to tease out the cramps in my stiff muscles. It was about 10:30 P.M. that night and I had called Dean much earlier to set a time for us to get together and have a last-minute review tomorrow, Friday. After that, I had immersed myself in studying once again and forgotten to eat dinner entirely. I continued to stretch before slowly rising to my feet and turning to walk out of the study and pad barefoot down the carpeted hall and into my kitchen. I pulled out the stuff I would need and put the bread in the toaster. While I waited, I wandered over to the couch to investigate that blank page.

Lo and behold, a note.

It hadn't _looked_ like a Plunko's but it must have been some variant since now there was the dark elegant cursive writing of my betrothed. As soon as I touched the page, it came alive in dark green ink script, and began to read itself out loud in Draco's good-humored confident tenor. It read:

**Hermione,**

**I know that you've probably been awake from dawn until dawn, attempting to master all that there is to know about the Healing arts. Since I'm gorgeous and no female can resist my charms, I thought that it would be better for you if I avoided you until Saturday at noon.**

_I'm pretty sure that was **my **idea. _I couldn't help but smile at the arrogance of his voice and roll my eyes before I continued to read.

**During the small breaks that I took in between flying around with Potter, Weasley and Weaselette I decided that I would have to be of use to you somehow. And it hit me I would love to have you get a good night's sleep yet I am infinitely aware of your drive to excel. And so I've enclosed a present that I'm certain you will want to use. I asked around to hear everyone else's useless advice before I found it. Get your wand and tap the envelope three times.**

"Accio wand," I said and my wand came zooming into my outstretched hand seconds later. I plunked myself down on the couch and tugged the envelope towards me. Dropping the letter, I picked up the wand. "Good. Let's see what this will do…"

The envelope expanded with a comical 'plop' as right before my very eyes, I watched a small test-tube sized bottle of light red liquid grow into a sizeable four ounce vial.

**Done?  
Good.  
Presumably, you've seen the bottle before. But if not, I will explain. The magical vial you see before you is what I would call an 'all-nighter' drug because it decreases your need to sleep down to nil for forty-eight hours. Name? Insomniax. Now, **Draco's voice became wheedling. **I know how you are about cheating. But I assure you that none of the ingredients of this liquid maximize performance. They only inhibit your body's need to act on the desire for sleep. I checked it out myself so it's alright.**

I breathed a sigh of relieve and carefully plucked the vial out of the envelope. _Hmmm…_As long as it didn't give me an unfair brainiac advantage, I would be ok with using it as a last resort. I didn't think that I would actually have to use it for the preliminary…I mean I'm worried but it would be far more useful when the finals come. So I smiled again at Draco's thoughtfulness before letting the letter finish itself up.

**If I were you, I wouldn't even bother with it now. Actually, I don't think that you're even going to use it. Save it for an event that it will be much more useful for. And **(Draco's tenor now waxed thoughtful) **I don't think you will even need it at all for the exams. But it is there at your disposal, for you to utilize as you wish.**

There was a pause as Draco seemed to think and I took the time to be surprised at the fact that he was thinking along the same lines that I was. Draco Malfoy was getting to know me quite well…

**Try and get some sleep though, love. It's important to be rested even the day before the _day before _your exam. I'll send you another letter tomorrow telling you what Enchanted Eats said. Be good (as if you know how to be anything else)…**

**D.M.**

The letter snapped shut of its own accord and I was left looking at a vial of Insomniax and wondering if there was any significance behind the nickname 'love'.

**oo**

Friday, I was up and about by 9:30.

**Dean,**

**We're definitely still meeting up today to get some wicked studying in! 1:00 sounds excellent to me so make sure that you have lunch. And knowing that you are _never_ full, I'll bring along lots of things to eat. The bookstore next to the Muggle library on fourth, ok?**

A reply came back within half an hour.

**Mione,**

**Just make sure you bring enough food, alright? Because you know how I get when I get hungry…And yeah, I'll be there even earlier with the flashcards.**

_And how much food is enough?_ I laughed to myself._I'd like to have something left in my kitchen. _

Not that the kitchen wasn't supplied with more than enough food to feed Dumbledore's Army.

I wandered into the kitchen to figure out what to make, settled on grilled cheese sandwiches and soup, then wondered what could be going on with Luna and Dean while I cooked. Dean was male. Males were often oblivious. If they weren't, it was because they wanted something from you too. But Luna's belief that Dean was still in love with Lavender was worrisome – she was level-headed and calm, usually open to multiple explanations for a single event, never settling on a single cause. That she had come to the conclusion by herself after only seeing a photo must mean one of two things – either there was something else that had convinced her that she was withholding or her eerily astute sense were leading her astray.

I flipped the sandwiches in tandem in the frying pan, watched it sizzle absently, and thought hard. Could I get Dean to fess up without cluing him? He had many sisters which meant he was _much _less oblivious than the average female, but it also meant that he might take it as me checking up on her through him…which would raise his suspicion…which was not in anyone's best interest. But perhaps he would be oblivious enough to let me get away with it.

I nodded to myself and made the resolution that I would ask. If he didn't tell me, I'd simply coax it out of him.

Working quickly now that I had extra incentive, I packed the lunch basket. Thinking that I should also get some protein in the mix, I set aside thick slices of cold honeyed ham and biscuits. When I had quite decided that I'd packed enough, I set off to the bookstore with backpack and basket in hand. I Apparated into a lonely alley close by quickly enough, startling a bunch of pigeons before getting my bearings.

I strode out of the alley and down the two long blocks to reach the bookstore. And just like a close friend, Dean wasn't there yet. I waited around for a moment before heading into the place to secure us a secluded area in a clean corner away from the distraction of windows and such. When I returned to the pavement outside the store, Dean was already there. And in a fit of unanticipated emotion, I found that I had missed hanging out with this giant very much.

"Dean," I said as I hugged him. Instantly, his arms curled around me as he laughed.

"It's good to see you too, 'Mione."

I pulled back.

"I take it you've missed me?" he teased. "I mean, it's a very real possibility that you _would_ miss me since it's been what –" He chuckled as he bent and retrieve his bags. "- maybe 48 hours?"

I punched his shoulder and he pretended to be hurt. He brightened as he saw the basket.

"Food?"

I didn't have a chance to reply before he relieved me of the load. I didn't bother to respond since he was already flipping the top open, but instead led the way into the public Muggle library. We settled at the nearest table, I pulled out all my things, and then rapped his knuckles as he tried to pull out a sandwhich.

"Eat later," I commanded. "Study now…let's begin."

**oo**

About three hours, four textbooks, some popcorn, two mistakes and much laughter later, we left the library to wander London so that Dean could eat.

"Do I spy _ham_?"

I looked at him with an arched eyebrow.

"Yes. You do."

Without further ado, Dean's very large hands proceeded to unpack the basket with a surprising agility. Luckily for him, I had brought everything needed to eat: plates, spoons, forks, knives. All we'd needed was the park bench to get it going. I grinned as I watched him lay all the utensils out quickly but methodically, being careful to put everything down in alignment.

Dean Thomas.

I don't think that I would have ever become very good friends with him if it hadn't been prominently for the War. Of course, he had joined the original DA back in our Fifth Year after Seamus had decided that he believed Harry, because Seamus and Dean were the best of friends. So, in a way, I'm quite grateful to the War for getting me with him. Dean is simply a barrel of good-looking good-humor…I've yet to see him get furious with anyone on a personal issue and he stands up for what he believes. He doesn't take crap (not that anyone gives a giant crap), he makes everyone laugh and he's got a genuinely good heart. And I like him a lot. He's a genuinely good guy.

I watched him dish out the meals in a very particular manner (where Ron would dive in without any hesitation). Since the bookstore allowed all manner of food and drink on its premises and even sold beverages and baked goods, we didn't catch any odd looks from people at surrounding tables. I'm sure that the faint aroma of ham did influence their opinions though. Anyway, once everything was prepared to Dean's liking we unwrapped the sandwiches and began to eat.

"Dean," I said after a little while. "Dean, how are things? You never told me about your trip out of the country."

"Somehow forgot about it after the hustle and bustle of the Ministry edict," he said. The lighting of the building got brighter as the sky outside got darker but Dean kept talking with a smile on your face. "Good. Denmark was wicked cool – got to travel around, meet a lot of people, live spontaneously."

Sounded awful – no order, no plan. Well, who was I to judge?

"You're thinking it sound terrible," he said, elbowing me in the side. "For you who likes order, it would be. But I loved it and I'm glad I got to travel a bit before I start Healer studies."

"I don't think it sounds _that _bad," I conceded, "and I'm glad you liked it."

He harrumphed, took two particularly large bites from his sandwich, then stared me down.

"How are things with Draco Malfoy?"

I'm sure that my eyes went dreamily unfocused for a moment as my mind drifted to the kisses, and the new apartment, and his grounds…

"'Mione?"

"Hmm?"

"I take it that unfocused eyes are a good sign?"

"Things are proceeding along at an amazing pace," I said dreamily, "and I'm finding him to be exactly what I need."

"Good Lord!" Dean stopped chewing to slap a hand over his ears and shake his head vigorously. "Bite your tongue! Granger and Malfoy? Wonders never cease."

I smiled complacently.

"Well, I still can't believe the Ministry would do something like arrange marriages for a certain age group but I must say, it's lead to some very interesting situations."

Dean's face wrinkled into slight disgust.

"If you're talking about the kind of situations that I _think_ that you're talking about, then I really _don't_ want to hear it."

"Well," I said with a mocking serious face. "Draco has amazing hands and he's always touching my-"

"No."

Dean groaned and slapped his hands over his ears again; this time it seemed to permanent. My smile morphed into laughter.

"I do not want to hear it! I will curse you into oblivion if you say another word!"

"Just yanking your leg, Dean." I made him pry his hands off of his ears. "Seriously, I think that I like Draco a lot. Anyway, how are you and Luna?"

See the thing is that I knew only half the story.

What Luna had told Ginny and I that day in Ginny's bedroom had been astonishing; quite surprising, really. It had made me a bit sad because Luna was never emotional about _anything_. Usually, she was our typical dreamy but not quite ditzy girl with the blonde flyaway tresses and the sky blue eyes. She was just…serene. And to see her become so entangled that _quickly_ was a cause for question.

_Why **is** she so caught up already? It simply **couldn't** be that she's liked him all this time. I mean…Ginny and I would have known wouldn't we?_

I shook my head slightly as I snapped back to the present.

"We're good," Dean shrugged. His demeanor was a little less happy than before.

"You're not in a row right now or anything?"

"Luna? Rowing?" He snorted inelegantly. I could sort of see his point. "I've yet to see the day!"

"Then what's up?" I asked.

"What do you mean what's up?"

Dean was beginning to look faintly uncomfortable. It could have been due to the fact that I had stopped eating altogether and now sat with my hands folded on the table, intently staring at him.

"You act differently when you talk about the relationship and I want to know why."

"Nothing's up."

Dean's face became a closed book, the warmth of his brown eyes muted and the expression kept clear off of his face. My eyes narrowed and I looked critically over him. I could see that I wasn't going to make any headway with him that day. I tried anyway.

"Really?"

"Really."

And that, my friends, seemed to be that.

Or at least for the moment.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

_Quidditch is a ridiculously fun sport_, I thought as my Nimbus 4000 zoomed through the air and whipped my robes around. _I cannot believe that Muggle games can be more fun than this. I say, flying is bloody fantastic!_

The boys had been the first to hear about Weaselette's little letter after I'd left Hermione's apartment Wednesday night and were excited that I was 'finally doing something' with my life. I very nearly became insulted – did they think it was _easy_ being me, having my amazing looks and enormous accounts? Because it wasn't! Anyway, I had managed to drag Blaise and Theo away from their joint office in London with an owl demanding that they stop working for the afternoon and have fun while helping me get ready for Quidditch. Vince and Greg had already decided to play.

"Oi! Bludger heading your way, mate!"

I managed to barrel roll my way out of its immediate path, waiting for the last moment to tumble upside down and out of the way of Vince's Bludger.

"Good one," I yelled over my shoulder as I swerved away. _I love this game._ I zoomed upwards at an-almost-dangerously-approaching-vertical angle before slowing down to float above the game.

_Hermione Granger._

I found myself thinking about her much of the time, lately. It seemed as if she had reserved a place in my head because it was hard to get her out. I attribute that to the fact that I don't have a lot to do and so much time can be devoted to pondering the enigma that is Hermione Granger. In the past weeks, she and I had managed to create an entirely different sort of relationship

"Oi! Another one, Drake!" I heard the warning that another Bludger was coming my way and moved instantly.

Or at least I thought I did.

It soon became blatantly apparent that I did not, when said Bludger caught me squarely in the back. It hit me with the speed and enthusiasm of a baby hippogriff, the impact throwing me right off of my broom and propelling me into mid-air. And I'm sure that you know that being in mid-air is never a good thing.

_Oh fuck._

I swear that I didn't even have much time to curse as my eyes opened wide and I saw nothing but the cursed transparency of air, and the far off green of the ground that was oh…I don't know…_at least two hundred feet below me_.

Falling made everything difficult - my Quidditch robes whipped around my body, tangling my legs hopelessly, and my straight hair brought visibility down to nil. I tried to scrabble for a hand-hold in vain but my Nimbus seemed to have very conveniently slipped out of sight. The wonder that is gravity was acting on my body and as I hurtled through the air I thought only one thing: _Oh great._

The yells of my friends alerted me to the fact that some people knew about my plight. The green grass was looming alarmingly closer, zooming towards me with at break-neck speed. I swear, people say things slow down when one is trying to avoid it but by Merlin, my descent sped up. Air whizzed by, making my eyes water and narrow automatically while alerting me to the dangers of earth. _Where's my bloody broomstick?_ I thought about twenty feet off the ground. The continued yells of many in the near-by vicinity. Unfortunately it looked like I was going to reach the ground before they reached me.

_Ten feet…_I began thinking of a spell that I could perform on myself to slow down my rendez-vous with the ground but nothing came to mind.

_Five feet…_I fleetingly thought of my broomstick and prepared for the most dangerous impact of my life when out of nowhere my Nimbus appeared. In between my legs. And because I had been picking up speed as I fell, I hit that Nimbus with all the energy of an egg hitting a wall. The broomstick smashed my crotch most _painfully_. Unsurprisingly, my descent was halted. But all the breath was knocked out of me and I ended up tumbling to the ground anyway with my robes ever which way, curled up in the fetal position and holding my crotch.

"Drake!" The yell came in Blaise's low voice from somewhere above me. I groaned and curled in tighter. "Merlin's Balls! Are you alright?

"We thought you were going to pull that stunt Potter did in Third Year="

"You okay, mate?"

"Hit…hard…crotch," I moaned and curled in tighter.

The pain was rolling in waves and I still had to get my breath back.

Silence met my statement before bursts of…_laughter_ hit me from all sides.

"What the hell, mates?"

I uncurled enough to get my head out from between my knees. It was all I could do to open my bleary eyes to make out where everyone was. And I was extremely angry when I did. All the guys were in a tight circle around me, all laughing uproariously with their stupid mouths wide open. Closest to my head were Blaise who was slapping his thighs as he continued to laugh. Theo, stupid bloke that he was, had an arm thrown over Blaise's back and his face buried in that arm. Vince and Greg seemed helpless in their laughter because they collapsed unto their knees as I watched, raucous mirth shaking their bodies.

_Why ever did the good Lord make friends?_ I thought angrily. _They aren't even blocking the sun!_

"N-no, Drake. It's not that we're-" Blaise hiccupped in his laughter somewhere in the vicinity above my head. I closed my eyes tighter and concentrated on making the pain go away. "-laughing at you it's just-"

"The way you said it!"

Vince fairly crowed from the general area of my feet before his laughter swallowed his words. But of course the mocking wasn't over yet.

" 'Hit…crotch…hard'! " Theo's deep voice intoned seriously before he too dissolved into his mirth.

_The pain's dwindling…in a few, it'll be gone completely and then I can get them. Five_.

"And his face!"

_Four…_I concentrated on the dwindling pain and found that my head was clearing up. I could think clearly and I knew just the spell to use.

"Drake, you look like a baby in that position."

_Three…_ I decided absently that I would use wandless magic – obviously, I didn't have my wand on me. But I also decided to use silent magic.

"All curled up!"

_Two…_I thought to myself and prepared to launch myself at the first two targets…Blaise and Vince.

"How about you go ahead and put your thumb in your mouth to complete the look?" That was Theo's taunt. _One…_it was time to act.

_Go!_

I sprung up with a litheness that not many jungle cats have, in one smooth motion that brought me to my feet easily. I spared a passing glance for Vince, focusing as much power into that small look as wand-power into a magical flare. I turned back to see two very surprised looking males in front of me and hit Blaise with a blast that even I was awed at. I turned back to see Vince's face screwed up in half-baked anger tempered with surprise as his feet beat out a fast rhythm that even I had trouble following completely. _Accidentally gave it an extra kick,_ I thought to myself as I finally let loose with a loud guffaw. I could see that Vince didn't even want to look up, he was so concentrated on stopping the madness of his feet.

"Now who gets the last lau-?"

My statement was truncated when I realized that half the words of my sentence had not left my mouth sounding like words.

_What the hell?_ I tried to say something again and what came out was one long, crazy-loud, croak. My hands immediately flew up to my throat as my grey-blue eyes widened.

_Who__the hell?_ I whipped around with my neck still encased by my hands to see that Theo had his wand pointing at my head. My eyes widened as he grinned jauntily and winked at me. I narrowed my eyes and forgot all about saying anything more. It would be pointless and I couldn't bear to hear my lovely voice sounding like it was exiting a fire toad's rearend. _Ugh…_I thought to myself about best to end things and decided to even up the playing field with a tidy little spell that I'd like to call-

_Finite Mincantatum_, specially designed to cut short the effects of mild spells on yourself. Of course, I didn't say anything aloud as that would have given me away. I pretended to look horrified again and waited until Theo's eyes had crinkled in a laugh, then I tackled that bloke to the ground. I hit Theo in the middle with a hard thump that fairly knocked the breath out of him, sweeping out his knees with a well-placed blow to just below the backs of them and using all my weight to throw him as hard as I could. Once we hit the floor, it turned out into a flat-out brawl with Theo and me punching everything that we could reach on the other. Blaise and Vince apparently recovered enough to join in and once Greg jumped in we had ourselves are right rumble. Of course after fifteen minutes of extreme fighting in which all sorts of sneaky Slytherin ways were used we stood on our feet and dusted each other off for another rousing game of Quidditch. I was flying through the air and looking for the golden Snitch before long.

_Quidditch really is the best game ever!_

**oo**

_Where is she?_

I know that I take my time in attending to my own special beauty needs but I have never taken anything as long as the amount of time that the women in my life do to get ready. _Well, I actually don't know about Granger yet…_But I was taking my mum out for dinner tonight and she was taking her sweet and precious time to get ready for it. Mother is a Malfoy, after all. And 'Malfoy' is synonymous with perfection.

I was lounging in one of _her_ favorite living rooms, actually, in the East Wing that is my mother's and about four doors down from one of her dressing rooms. The Manor is actually divided into four wings: East, West, North and oddly enough Dragon. I'm not sure who decided to changed 'South' to 'Dragon', but regardless of who changed the policy, the name stuck. Anyway, the front door leads right into the East Wing which is characterized by mostly blue – blue carpets or wall or curtains, something blue in almost every single room. And the shade of blue varies from periwinkle to a navy that is nigh on black at times. I think of the East Wing as mostly the entertainment area for guests and the servants' quarters. East Wing, because it is used for entertainment purposes, is pretty big by all standards. It runs about a mile into the house and has numerous bathrooms and dining and living rooms as well as guest rooms; I've recently decided to set aside a room to make into a Quidditch training room, bewitched to look like the outside and have players and everything. I'll see what I can do about it. Anyway, if the rooms don't stay put, often than not, one can find him or herself running into rooms that look suspiciously familiar more than once.

The West Wing is my wing and it is characterized by self-portraits of yours truly on every wall in every room.

Just kidding. But West Wing really is my domain. You know it's mine because it's decked out in the Slytherin colors which coincidentally are my favorite colors. Everything is in silver and shades of dark to lime green and there are a few portraits of my mother up and around the place. I reconfigured West Wing to fit my own personal needs so it has more mirrors that any other wing, as well as fragrant oils in many rooms. I like things to look good and smell good – it's a Malfoy thing, you know? There are a few pieces of art around the place, furniture is mostly dark woods and many of the things are ornately decorated with silver. The curtains actually have silver trimmings and the silver thread glints in the dark. Anyway, West Wing has about forty rooms in all and I really never enter most of them – not often anyway. Things usually appear when I need them where I need them.

North Wing is a…puzzle. It's a medley of a lot of different memories for me because its lower floors lead to the dungeons but its upper floors are where I remember spending a significant time of childhood. The walls change to suit the color preference or mood of the people in the room – if there's more than one person, it'll pick the person with the most forceful mood or preference. It houses a magnificent playroom that spans about twenty feet wide and fifty feet upwards, with mini-Quidditch brooms and Bludgers and the Snitch. It also has a nursery, although the nursery is now nothing more than an empty room painted in bright yellow. I had all my tutoring in the schoolroom that was right above the nursery, and I remember staring at the silver dragons on green walls that I loved to imagine when I was little. Mother read to me when I was very young, but as I grew older, she stopped. Father instructed me in magic, hurturing my abilities into what I have today. And then there were the few times when Mum, Father and I spent an evening in one of North's many living rooms: Mother reading while Father told me stories or simply sat by my side in perfect silence. North Wing opens a lot of doors down different roads of my past that make me a wee bit wistful and sometimes sad…but I think that things will change.

Dragon Wing, or Drake as I often refer to it, is probably the brightest wing of all. It is full of vibrant colors in every hue ranging from the palest shell pinks to the wildest sky blues. I swear, it's like being immersed in a child's water color painting! I really like Drake because it has so many rooms that use elegant French windows to open out unto terraces with sturdy but gothic banisters overlooking the immense fifty-acre backyard that flanks the Manor from behind. It's also the home of the place that I instinctively know that Hermione is going to know and love – the Malfoy library. The library is twice the size of the children's playroom; an earthy-themed haven that stores over four thousand titles in magic, both the light and dark arts. Drake has most of the coziest rooms of the Manor because its chock full of mini-living rooms stocked with fireplaces and books to read. It also houses the grandest Malfoy Manor entertainment room of all – the ballroom.

The Malfoy ballroom has been a part of the Manor for more years than my grandfather can count; dating back to the early sixteen hundreds. It's been expanded upon by its numerous owners and it is often used for family gathering. I actually can remember the last family gathering, which took place when I was about four years old. It's a grand old magical place, taking up half of the rake Wing. The set-up is as follows: the Manor is made up of seven expansive floors, excluding the dungeons below ground. The ballroom occupies all seven floors. Understand? The floors were knocked out to make the ballroom so it's as tall as the Manor is, and about as wide as half of Drake Wing. Here also magic is present – its walls change colors depending upon the room's use and the need of those who plan to be using it. Many a Malfoy wedding reception has taken place in the ballroom. In fact, Mother tells me that she and Father considered having the actual wedding in the ballroom. Unfortunately, I can't remember the last time I'd been in there.

_I really must take a day to wander about the house._

"Draco?"

I started as my mother paused in the doorway, dressed from the top of her fair head to the soles of her feet in silver.

"Mother!" I smiled so widely that it felt hard to stop.

My mother's smile was wide and when she laughed, it was as sudden as the breaking of plates but as welcomed as warm sun on a cold day. I continued to look at her, amazed, before pulling my dear mum in for her hug. Her laughter continued and when I set her down on the silver carpet, I decided that I would play the gallant gentry for the night. I grandly bowed at the waist, making a showy and magnificent show of offering her my arm when I had straightened.

"You give me the greatest honor by allowing me to take you out tonight, Madame."

We went out to her favorite restaurant and I treated her to anything and everything she wanted. Her favorite restaurant coincidentally happens to be one of the restaurants that the Malfoy family owns – and I must say that the restaurant did us proud.

"So her makeup preliminary exam is on Saturday? As are your Quidditch first round try-outs?"

I nodded and took a bite of the delicious baked salmon that I had ordered. "It is. And of course she's worried but I'm positive that she'll do extremely well."

My mother smiled approvingly. "I don't doubt that at all. By the way, Draco, I'm coming to your try-outs this Saturday afternoon."

"Really?" I was surprised. I hadn't thought that Mother would want to come and I paused mid-chew to look at her. Mum looked serious. "You would?"

She wrinkled her eyebrows. "Of course, I will." I looked at her across the small table and a smile blossomed across my face. She smiled back and we sat in comfortable silence for a little while before an extremely thoughtful look appeared on my mum's face.

"Draco," she said, carefully placing her eating utensils down on the table. Her grey-blue eyes looked at me and I think that the first thought that flew through my head was vague anxiety. The second was curiosity – that tone meant that only a "There are a few things that I would like to talk to you about."

"Please go on."

"Whether you are actively aware of this or not, Hermione Granger is your betrothed." I wasn't sure what she was getting at so I nodded slowly. "This means that she will become a Malfoy."

I tilted my head curiously, she continued.

"This means that she will have to take lessons in order to act in a manner befitting a Malfoy."

My eyes widened at this statement.

I had forgotten _all_ about the lessons that I had learned when I was little – deportment, elocution, social carriage etc. It took me years to perfectly master those skills and they were now so apart of me that I never really thought about it.

"She must uphold the family name. She did not have the childhood training simply because she was not born a pureblood but I suggest that she begin taking lessons with a new set of masters and mistresses as soon as possible. I will use the next available opportunity to let her know."

"These are mandatory?" I asked thoughtfully.

Mother nodded.

"I do realize that she is a very busy young lady but these lessons cannot be foregone. One might have cause to worry since she is also preparing for her Healer examinations."

I kept silent and my mother continued as the thoughtful look returned.

"But it does not matter for I am sure that Miss Granger will do both her parents and myself proud."

I wasn't quite sure how Hermione would take it.

Mother clapped her hands together loudly as if she remembered something, her silver robes shimmering on her arm in smooth undulation. My eyes were drawn to the twinkling of the color before I returned my gaze to my mother's face. Her eyes seem to glaze over in the flickering of candle light.

"I have already contacted four masters and mistresses in various areas, and I think it would add an element of excitement if Miss Granger has a debutante ball in four weeks…A sort of 'coming out' and showing off of the skills that she will master. Of course, it is entirely up to her whether she wants one or not."

Clearly, Hermione didn't have a choice.

"I hadn't even given thought to that at all, Mother. It's certainly something that needs to be done, though."

I was careful to keep my elbows off of the table as I leaned back to think. It would certainly bring some complications to Hermione's life. Her finals were at the end of the summer, giving her a mere four weeks to thoroughly prepare herself for the biggest exam of her life. She needed to adjust to her new apartment and we needed to get used to the reality of arranged marriage, although I quite think that we were 'adjusting' very well. And she'll want to stay in tune with what's happening in the lives of all her best friends, juggling her time between home, her 'gang's' homes, the library and most importantly me.

_And now she must make time for classes in elocution, deportment, social behavior and the like._ It seemed as if everything would be crashing in around her in four weeks. _I can't say how she'll take this…and with that overexcited look in Mother's eyes, I'm not sure that Hermione has a choice at all…_

It looked as if the next few weeks were set in stone. The more I thought about it after the excellent dinner and upon returning home to the Mansion, the more clearly I saw that Hermione would have some real cause for worry in the upcoming weeks. She'd be busy and usually busy meant stressed for her. I wanted to support her as best as I could without interfering which meant I would probably need to give her a heads up but-

Her exam was on Saturday and I wouldn't say anything before then.

**-oooOooOoOOoOooOooo-**

_Oh. My. God. Today's the day._

It wasn't so much that I woke up – it was more that my eyes snapped open and I was instantly on high alert. I am always high-strung during exam time, cautious of stepping out of line and causing my own downfall. Today, the Saturday of both Draco's Quidditch tryouts and my preliminaries, was the day that I would conquer the first round of my Healer exams. And I planned to win.

I didn't even bother looking at the time – I knew that it was probably before 8:00 P.M. by the mildness of the golden morning sunlight streaming in through my windows to fall across my rug.

_I can do this. I can do this. I can definitely do this because I've covered everything. But have I covered enough? Think, Hermione. Think. You can do this – yes, yes, I can do this. _I breathed deeply in a feeble effort to calm myself. _ I have covered all of my textbooks at least four times each and Dean did an excellent job in helping me master the finer points of healing yesterday. I can do this. Death to all who try and trick me. No problem. Definitely no problem._

I had covered everything.

Many times.

Multiple times.

It would be more than enough…

…wouldn't it?

My phone vibrated violently.

_Messages? _I flipped it open and quickly went to voice mail. I was pleasantly surprised to hear the voices of all of my best friends amidst the static of an unclear connection.

"Hermione," Harry's voice was stern. "You are going pass with flying colors! Check your Plunko's notes – can't finish call – you back!"

"So try not - stress too much - deep breaths -eat - possible," said Ron's equally serious voice in the static.

"Ron!" A voice in the background said. "- you - serious!"

"I **am **," he whined back and I laughed since it was the first clear thing I'd heard.

"So - best - water...which you'll do anyway."

Now it was Neville. Pity, I couldn't understand him!

"'Mione!" Ginny and Luna's amused voices chimed at the same time. "Try not to overwhelm the - brilliance - give - a chance."

…Give who a chance?

"Meet at the try-outs," said Dean. "I want - me."

Regardless of the confusing nature of the call, I smiled happily and shut the phone as I rolled over unto my back and stared up at the ceiling.

I could do this.

"I believe that I can do excellently on this test," I murmured aloud to an empty room. "I can…so I should get up and begin preparing."

**oo**

I couldn't sit still to save my life. I had taken a cold shower to get my faculties in gear before sitting down for breakfast. I had obsessively flipped though two hundred of my two hundred and fifty note cards and now I was anxiously waiting for Draco to arrive. Dressed in my most comfortable set of dark blue Levi jeans and a plain baggy bright blue tee-shirt, I was sitting on the edge of my living room couch and thinking hard. Various healing spells floated around in my head and I would latch unto a thought and discard it almost as quickly. It was hard waiting for the exam to come and I was nervous and anxious and I really _really_ wanted Draco to get here and ease my fears. I looked at the clock – it was suddenly 10:45 P.M.

_Draco._

Looking back on the last two and a half weeks, I really could not believe that so much had happened. That random disastrous meeting in the rain that Friday, the strange atmosphere at the park, the dark alleyway scare, the catastrophic date at the restaurant…Everything was happening so fast, so fast. I didn't think that I would ever get to the state I am in with Draco now – _I mean, Merlin! We're on a first name basis!_ It was quite surprising that such things could happen so quickly and I hadn't had too many chances to really sit down, absorb, and analyze my situation.

If I thought about it, Draco Malfoy had many things that a girl could want. He was attractive in an angular way, a little taller than Harry with shoulder-length thin silver blonde hair and those envious high cheekbones. He was _Teen Witch Weekly_'s second most eligible bachelor of the year because he was a triple-threat: mysterious, rich, and good looking.(Harry had come in first place – savior of wizarding world, rich and plagued with medals of lifetime achievement etc., fairly nice-looking etc.) He was also quite intelligent. He had been top five in all the classes at Hogwarts behind me, even when he'd been involved in the events that led to Dumbledore's death. Without question, he had the means to support himself. He was wealthy; he seemed to be unconscious of it most of the time and I realized that when he became a Quidditch pro, his capital would increase ten-fold.

_I mean, what's not to like?_

Well…much.

He made by blood boil, in two ways actually. I have never reached anger of such an abnormally high level until that lovely morning when I found out that he had sold my home out from underneath me. He was stubborn, felt the need to order me around, thought that he would always get his way and generally was a whirlwind in my life. But he had his moments – I've never really thought about it but that night in the dark alleyway when I thought my face was permanently damaged and I'd never get the use of my wrist again, he held me until I fell asleep. He pretty much surrounded me with comfort, stroked my hair and my back and…I don't think I've ever fallen so deeply asleep in any guy's arms who _wasn't_ my Dad. And he's devious – he _knows_ how much he affects me physically and he's not afraid to use it. Quite the opposite, actually. I can count on one hand how many serious snogging sessions he and I have engaged in yet I can readily tell you that in each one of those kisses, maintaining control of the situation was out the door. I parted first because I was surprised, second because I couldn't handle all the emotion, third because it was only meant to break the pheromone magic and fourth because I needed oxygen. Yesterday was by far the most passionate one – I didn't wantto stop at all. I kind of sort of just wanted to escape with my clothes on, though.

_The female papers were not lying when they said the bond would amp up our needs_, I thought as I glanced at the watch again.

Draco Malfoy was supposed to be the missing piece…my life mate, my better half, the best fit, my very own soul mate. All trite phases to cover up what the Ministry had initially done to shackle men and women together. I had tried every means possible to get Neville to tell me how the binding had worked, how many spells had been used, and what their sure-fire way meant. If Draco hadn't become so integral in my life in the last few weeks, wouldn't I still be looking for a way out?

I wrinkled my forehead as I thought about this briefly. _What does that really mean?_ I mean, I have to really thank my lucky stars that I knew Draco Malfoy before me. In a twisted sort of way, I knew the kind of jerk I was dealing with at the very least. But it would be different for people who had hadn't ever seen or remembered going to Hogwarts with their betrothed. It would be even worse for people who were _already_ involved with someone else. I can't even imagine something like that – the Ministry may have very well broken up a lot of good relationships with their claim that "the person picked is your _soul mate_".

_But what is Draco really bringing into my life?_

I remembered what I had said to Dean the day before: _"Things are proceeding along at an amazing pace. I'm finding him to be exactly what I need."_ He was new – different than any of the people I hung out with on a regular basis and he had an ego. But he was beginning to become a very permanent fixture in my life. He was smart and funny and spontaneous and a general ball to be with. Even when we fought, I wasn't thinking that I wanted to curse someone for the arranged marriage business. I was surprised that Draco seemed to have matured a bit in our time out of Hogwarts and I was ridding him of his negative pureblood teachings. And he was thoughtful – who do you know who would purposely go searching for a book-store near you simply because he knows you like to read? And he was an amazing kisser. I wanted to stay a virgin until the wedding night but that was looking like an increasingly distant reality…I really liked him. Like, I really liked him a lot. Like, I was in serious danger of losing my heart quickly. And this was only midway through the third week…

Draco would arrive at any minute. Before I had even made it to the door, the telltale chiming of the bell began. I looked at my watch and smiled as I strode the last couple of feet to my front door. It was exactly eleven am.

The door swung open to reveal a Draco leaning against the doorframe who was looking unusually athletic but his usual handsome self. His hair was unrestrained and fell in a straight sheet across his shoulders. His eyes were bright and his cheekbones were merely by the pool of warm yellow afternoon sunlight that he stood in. He sported Quidditch robes reminiscent of the Slytherin team. They were a deep forest green that dropped down to his knees but sported the intertwined initials 'DM' in silver across his chest. I grinned at him and he took the grin as an indication of my desire to see the rest of his robes. He turned and the robes swirled around his legs, and I saw that there was more to the cloak. On the back were two identical silver dragons, drawn in what I call the 'library' style – the same that the New York public library system uses as symbols. As I watched, the two dragons seemed to dip upwards and downwards as if their wings were really serving to keep them afloat. Draco was looking over his shoulders at in what I personally think is his most disarming – a genuinely cheerful smile.

"I take it that you like?"

I laughed and nodded. He turned back to face me and grinned engagingly. Before I knew it, he had pulled me right through my front door and out unto the porch. His large hands flew up to cradle my small neck and his grey-blue eyes narrowed as he carefully examined my face. I fought the urge to blush and won.

"Have you been eating properly?"

"Yes."

"Taking regular breaks between bouts of intense studying?"

I tried not to look guilty as I responded in the affirmative.

"Sleeping properly?"

I squared my shoulders and nodded again.

"Yes, I have."

His eyes softened as he looked at me. The pads of his fingers began to draw slow lazy circles on the base of my neck. I had to fight the urge to close my eyes and lean back in order to pay him more attention. Good Lord, he was magnetic. I gazed right back at him.

"Have you missed me?"

My eyes widened. I decided right then and there that I had to be truthful, that I didn't want to be anything other than truthful. I felt for the place in my mind that was the most 'Draco'-ish, the green that he was to me, and probed gently. His grey-blue eyes widened as I watched him and the pads of his long fingers suddenly halted their circling. It felt funny…probing meant that I had to think about him hard, think about him as he looked and felt to me. All walls dropped down and I simply began to send him waves of…how much I'd missed him through the bond. I wanted him to feel what I felt him – how much I liked the Draco I was getting to know, his quirkiness, his wit and quick sense of humor, how much I liked his spontaneity and arrogant confidence and the protectiveness that he was beginning to display.

"Yes, I did."

I could tell the moment it hit him. He rocked back a little bit but I cradled his astonished face and pulled him down to my level. I smiled affectionately as the surprise began to fade from his face to be replaced by something so warm that I wanted to blink.

"More than you would believe, Draco."

I pulled him into a brief chaste kiss; a mere brushing of lips. I released his face because I wanted to at least make the _effort_ of trying to keep a clear head for the test and I would only be able to do that if we didn't have an intense passionate kiss before the exam. Because then all I would think about would be him.

_And that will never do_.

"You surprise me more than ever, Hermione Granger."

His light tenor had become a bit huskier and his eyes looked as if all the blue was disappearing quickly. Though the bond, I could feel his regret and I assumed that it was because we _couldn't_ share an intense passionate kiss before the test. I shook my head and rolled my eyes without any real anger. He reached behind me to close the door and to lock it magically. I looked at him quizzically.

"So I have another reason to bring you back home."

"Huh?"

"You can't open it." He looked very smug and amused. I just rolled my eyes again before I said in a mock offended tone.

"I'm not reason enough?"

It was his turn to roll his eyes.

"That's why I said _another_ reason." He inclined his head towards the side of the flat to a dark but grassy area. "Let's go. I'm going to watch you enter the testing hall before Apparating away to the fields."

He took my hand unconsciously and led me down the stairs. We turned to the corner of the house and headed over to the grassy shadowy area. As we walked, I squeezed his hand. He gently squeezed back and I asked him a question.

"Where is it being held?"

"Somewhere in Cambridge, I believe."

"Two o'clock?"

"Two o'clock."

He pulled me the rest of the way into the shade.

"Where are we going for brunch?"

He grinned and kissed me thoroughly before pulling back.

"So many questions, so little time. Time to move."

His magic sucked us from one space and pulled us in a whirlwind of whipping robes and color and confusion into another space. I managed to land on my feet in the deserted alleyway but only barely due to unforeseen dizziness. In truth, it was Draco that kept me standing with an arm around my waist.

"You alright or is that huge head of yours getting the best of you?"

He teased me with a straight face and I glared.

"Better a head with a brain than your over-sized ego."

"Cheap shot." He smiled fondly and pulled me close. "And I happen to know that you _like_ my over-sized head."

"Found out again," I sighed. "You know me far too well."

"No," he whispered as his other hand slipped under my shirt to rub my stomach. "Not half as well as I'd like."

_Control, Hermione._

I danced away from his wandering hands.

"Brunch time!"

He looked put out but brightened at some thought I wasn't privy to.

"I suppose we'll just have to make up for all this 'no snogging' time after that exam." He sighed and his childish pout faded. "Which you'll do excellently on, by the way. I have no doubt about it and you shouldn't either."

He strode over to me and held my shoulders. He smiled warmly and pulled me into another hug. He murmured his next words into my hair.

"No doubt whatsoever."

**oo**

We ended up having brunch at the very first café that I had taken Draco on that day long affair; a little place that served the best croissants in England and sweet hot chocolate, iced tea and lemonade and sandwiches of all sizes and manners. I was surprised that Draco had brought me here to have brunch because I thought that he would go for something expensive that reflected his usual refined taste. I wasn't surprised that he remembered though – it was a lovely gesture. We chatted all the way through lunch about the most inane things possible ('You didn't use the Insomniax, did you?' to which I shook my head) and he told me that he had flown around with the boys for most of Thursday afternoon and a bit of Friday as well after going over to the Burrow.

"What positions are available?"

"I believe that there are six open spots – two Seeker positions, one Keeper, two Chaser, and one Beater."

"Seeker, then?"

He nodded and I surveyed him with interested eyes.

"I don't know much about your best mates," I said as I munched on a ham and cheese sandwich. "Or rather, I don't know if they've changed as much as you have."

He shot me a look I couldn't quite read.

"Since we were at Hogwarts?"

I nodded.

"Everyone has the capacity to change, Hermione."

"I'm not saying they don't – I'm only saying I wouldn't know if they had," I pointed out frankly, "which is why I'm asking you to tell me about them."

"Tell you everything?"

"I do want to know, Draco. Honestly."

He looked at me thoughtfully before taking a measured sip of his chocolate.

"We're rather an unintentional collection of mates. I suppose that within the group, everyone talks to someone the most. You remember Vince and Greg, of course. Their fathers were best friends with mine so I've known them the longest. Vince is the muscle of the group, I think, being the biggest and most muscular. Greg is the comedian."

I watched as Draco's face revealed pride and deep affection as he spoke of his friends.

"Zabini is Italian and the only son of an extremely affluent family with roots in his homeland. He's funny but logical to the point of detachment sometimes. His mind is very…clinical; he works methodically and pragmatically and rarely loses his nerve or his cool. He's most likely the brains of the group."

Draco paused to smile.

"Not 'most likely' – he definitely is. Nott is the most mysterious of the group, a real brooding loner. He's come out of his shell a bit but he used to be a lot more introverted. It's ironic though, because he's the only one who wasn't a single child."

"He isn't?" I asked, very surprised. All I'd known of Nott was that his father had tried to have Buckbeak killed. "I had no idea."

Draco shook his head.

"Older brother Marcus, adores him almost to the point of reverence." Draco looked thoughtful. "We're lucky he opened up as much as he did. We all talk to each other quite regularly though I am at Zabini's place most often than not."

"What would you describe yourself as in the group?"

I was curious as to how he would answer the question, intuitively knowing that he wouldn't resist a chance to show off-

-and I was not disappointed as I watched his chest puff out vainly and an arrogant lift to his chin.

"Me? I'm the life of the party, of course."

_But, of course, _I thought fondly. I successfully fought the smirk off my face and moved on.

"Who are they engaged to?"

He shrugged a bit.

"Vince is with Eloise Midgen."

"Eloise?" My eyes widened as I remembered a plain and slightly shy girl who had tried to curse off her acne. Draco took one look at my expression and snorted.

"Yes, the one who ended up with a nose that's off-center."

"I beg your pardon," I argued. "Her nose was only _slightly_ off-center, hardly even noticeable."

Honestly, was it her fault that some lousy Ravenclaw had made the suggestion to curse the acne off? I reached for my iced tea and began to drink.

Draco lifted both of his eyebrows and looked at me dubiously. "I'd say that plumb in the middle of your cheek was noticeable."

"Madame Pomfrey fixed it immediately and ended up very close to where it was supposed to be!"

"Alright, alright." He placated me with two upturned palms. He shook his head ruefully and continued on. "Greg is engaged to Millicent Bullstrode."

I inhaled the iced tea the wrong way and ended up a sputtering mess. Like a true gentleman, I was helped by Draco. He slapped me on the back and made me drink some of his water to get everything back to normal. "You alright?"

"Yes," I said on a ragged breath in a poor attempt to get my lungs working correctly again. "_Millicent Bullstrode?_"

"That was my reaction too," he said sagely as he leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. "But they get along extremely well. In fact, they are already engaged with a wedding date coming up in the next few weeks."

Well, God bless him then.

"Theo is apparently meant to be with Hannah Abbot."

_Now **there****'s** a name that I haven't thought about it in a very long time._

Hannah Abbot, Hufflepuff prefect and best friends with Ernie Macmillan and Terry Boot. She had changed a lot during the War and for very good reason. Death Eaters had murdered her older brother Alfred in a brutal daylight attack on Gringotts. Alfred had worked as a Cursebreaker for the wizarding bank and had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Hannah had been fairly expressive and a teeniest bit emotionally unstable at Hogwarts and in the early days of the War. Alfred had been her greatest joy in life, the brother of her heart. We'd all heard the stories of their childhood, knew how close they had been – closer than many siblings I have known. When the news reached the Order that he'd been among those dead, Hannah fell apart at the seams. For almost five weeks after the news, she'd been inconsolable; a wraith that'd lost weight quickly and lost her appetite for life even faster. And then had come the transformation…

The Hannah Abbot that entered the war was a girl who hadn't been ready for the harsh reality of life; a teenager who had been entirely unprepared for the darkness that the War would bring to life. The Hannah Abbot that developed after Alfred Abbot's death had been entirely different. Not cold, not really. But immune…indifferent…obsessed with finding out who had ordered the hit and moved only by battle…Her magical skills increased tenfold because she became something very close to a killing machine – she honed her skills and techniques and became the youngest Auror ever unofficially trained. She went out into every battle with the same carefully blank face, the same indifference that served to insulate her and separate her from many around her. I don't think that she had ever recovered from the crippling blow that her brother's death was. And she did find out who ordered the hit but she kept it to herself, even though her best friends Ernie Terry and Anthony begged her to tell them. All the weight that she had lost during the War returned and Hannah's body had turned into the 'hour-glass' shape that many boys only have fantasies about, yet she took no real romantic interest in males. After the War, I heard that she buried herself in Ministry work and I haven't seen or heard from her since.

"Still there?"

I started and looked apologetically across the small coffee table at Draco.

"Sorry. And Blaise Zabini?"

"You might want to stop eating before I tell you this one."

I immediately swallowed everything in my mouth and looked at him with apprehension.

"Who?"

"Pansy Parkinson."

I coughed _even though_ I had nothing in my mouth. I curled my lip in distaste and looked away from him.

"Who knows?" Draco leaned forward and sipped his lemonade again before putting it back down. "She might have changed the way I did."

My jaw dropped.

"You don't know? Weren't you thick as thieves at school?"

He shrugged.

"Fell out of touch around the middle of the War – I knew when she left England but that's about all. Until the Ministry dropped that bomb, anyway."

Shocking. I'd all but thought that they were engaged.

"Anyway, she seems to be a bit more mature and Zabini is clearly enthralled," Draco continued. "It's possible she's different now."

_Why is it that I doubt that very much?_ I thought sourly to myself. I really hadn't been able to stand that hag during Hogwarts, and I didn't think I would be able to stomach her later on. But it looked like I would have to – after all, our soon-to-be husbands are best friends and would probably be hanging out in all their spare time.

He laughed as if he could read my mind.

"I'm changing the subject if only to get that sour look off your face." He was smirking at my facial expression and I rolled my eyes. His expression turned serious soon after. "Mother's coming to the Quidditch try-outs. And she has something to tell you."

Something looked a little off in his face as he said this and I could feel something faintly familiar trickling in through the bond.

I raised an eyebrow.

"From the way you sound and what feelings you're giving off in my head, it feels like I might be getting bad news."

His face was carefully blank.

"It's not that it's bad news…per say. It's a requirement that you're going to have to do."

My eyes narrowed even further.

"Requirement? You're not making any sense. What are you talking about Draco?"

He shifted in his seat and looked away from me.

"I don't think that it's my place to tell you."

I gazed at him over the table.

"Honestly, I really do think that it's mother's news to give."

"You shouldn't have brought it up if you weren't going to tell me," I scolded him. I stood on my feet and scowled before beginning to clear all the remains of food off the table. "Of all the days to…Come on, let's leave."

He merely looked at me as I stood. We went in silence to pay the bill at the counter. After that we headed out of the alleyway yet my scowl was still firmly in place. When we got a distance far enough from any Muggle eyes, he stopped me and placed his hands on my shoulder.

I looked away.

"Hermione."

"Yes?"

"Look at me."

I looked very purposefully into his eyes.

"Don't go into your test angry at me – I would tell you if it was my news to tell but it's really Mother's."

I sighed and looked into his grey-blue eyes.

"I'm not irritated, but certainly not mad. You know how I like to know things and now I'll be on edge."

He nodded.

"Can you at least tell me if it's something good or bad?"

He gave me a funny look then.

"I'm not sure what you'll think about it, really. I rather think that you'll find it a bother at first but later on…" He shrugged as his voice tapered off before he gave my shoulders a squeeze. "Who knows? Just don't be mad, alright?"

I rolled my eyes before smirking at him.

"If I do happen to fail my test, I can always blame it on you."

He lifted the weight of his arms off of my shoulder and then tweaked my nose with it. I couldn't help but grin at the cute gesture.

"We'd best get going."

The test was being held across the street from the Ministry. The building wasn't on ground level; one had to enter a phone booth to get to it, same as the Ministry. You would think that Muggles would notice an immense crowd of chattering people and think something was strange, and I'm sure a few did because not all magical phenomenon could be explained during the War, but most carried about their business elsewhere. There seemed to be quite a few wizards and witches going for rescheduled Healer preliminaries, and I was surprised because I had thought that I would be the only one. I counted almost thirty-five people of assorted shapes, sizes and colors but many of them looked like they were at least three years older than I was.

A few looked familiar from the Order but there had been so many people in the Order that I'm not very certain that I had ever met them all. _Maybe many of them have been St. Mungoes as often as I have in the last three weeks._ I grinned wryly at that thought and Draco gave me a funny look.

"What's so funny?"

I shook my head and continued to smile.

He shrugged his shoulders and shoved his hands into the pockets of his dark green robes. A funny ringing sound shrilled in the air and as I watched, a group of four people seemed to start in surprise. The sound hadn't sounded like anything that _I_ knew of so I assumed that the administrators of the test had invented a way to call people to the booths that would only be recognizable to those called. The four people who had started in surprise made their way to a booth and stepped in. A moment later, the booth appeared empty. I arched my eyebrows.

_Interesting._

"There are a lot of them for a make-up exam, aren't there?" His voice sounded in my ear because he had bent to whisper.

I turned my head fractionally toward him while keeping my gaze trained on the crowd.

"That's what I was thinking."

"Let's move forward."

Unfortunately for us, everyone in the crowd knew who we were. I tried to avoid eye-contact as much as possible but it seems that Draco didn't. With his trademark silver hair and my bushy mane, we were identified on sight. The hushed whispers began as soon as we hit the fringe of the loose crowd of human beings.

A female voice sounded off to my right and I resisted the urge to turn towards her.

"Merlin, HermioneGranger?"

The murmurs got louder.

"-a lot prettier since the last time she was in the paper?"

I blinked. _I have?_ I thought with pleasure as I heard the approving male comment.

"Agree, mate."

"Don't tell me she's taking the test too," another appalled voice wailed. "I knew I should have begun to study two months ago!"

"No one told me were going to have such stiff competition for becoming a Healer," someone grumbled up ahead.

I kept my eyes floating above everyone's heads as if I couldn't hear them loud and clear. Draco seemed to be amused as he

"Merlin, is that _Draco Malfoy_?" a young female voice murmured.

Forget avoiding eye contact – I snapped right up as I looked around suspiciously for the source of that voice.

"For an ex-Death Eater, he's very good-looking."

"And isn't he supposed to be the fourth richest bachelor after the Weasley twins and Harry Potter?"

"-incredibly sexy," another one whispered.

Alright, this was beginning to irritate me.

My eyes narrowed as I carefully made a sweep of the area. I noticed a group of women standing about four feet away from us. A tall dark-haired woman with long tanned legs and faded blue jeans shorts was staring over my shoulders Draco with hungry eyes that I really didn't like. The strange ring sounded again for almost ten seconds and four girls peeled themselves away and strode purposefully into the red booths. Unfortunately for me, the leggy brunette wasn't one of them. She seemed to be looking over my head and past me to where I assumed Draco was still standing. I stopped all movement and he did as well. I narrowed my brown eyes as the woman broke away from her group of friends and strode towards us from the left.

She_ had _to be kidding_._ Without ever once taking her eyes off of him, she stopped next to us.

"Hello," she fairly purred her greeting and managed to purse her lips in a way that meant both 'come hither' and 'she's not good enough for you'. If I wasn't feeling so territorial, I might have appreciated the sourness of her direct approach. "My name is Maxime Chadabe. What's yours?"

I didn't miss a single beat.

"Taken," I said possessively.

With a contemptuous glance meant especially for her, I turned and wound an arm around Draco's neck. He looked beyond startled as I pulled him down to my level and wasted no time in tugging him into a long hard kiss.

By the time I was finished with him, Draco looked as if he'd been playing Quidditch in extremely windy conditions for at least an hour and the forward Maxime Chadibe was stalking back to her friends.

_Point one for me_, I thought triumphantly.

"Holy Merlin, Hermione," Draco said in shock. "Didn't even know you were capable of jealousy!"

I grinned when he pulled me in to kiss me again.

"Hermione Granger, Sara Williams, John Billiard and Maxime Chadabe." A cool female voice echoed around the plaza. "Please step forward and into the booths."

"Damn," he said.

His kiss eased into a long hug; his arms slipped around my waist and his robes swept over my shoulders. Draco dropped a kiss on my forehead before letting me go and nodding towards the only empty red phone booth.

I pulled away, tried not to let a wave of anxiety rock me in my boots. As if he knew what I was thinking, he glared at me.

"Stop it - you'll be fine."

"Of course I will," I said as I turned away. "And I'll be sitting in the stadium and watching you as soon as this over."

I turned on my heels and squared my shoulders bravely.

_I can do this. _

I raised my chin and marched forward confidently. I took my place in the booth and turned to get a last look at Draco and the rest of those waiting to be called.

_I am Hermione Granger and I have studied long and hard for this test. _

And there he stood towards the back, one of the tallest males in the crowd, and certainly the most handsome in my eyes. His own grey-blue orbs twinkled as he raised a hand in farewell.

_I can do this._

I waved as the booth began its descent.

_Here we go, Hermione. Here we go._


End file.
